From Potions to Pram
by Laume
Summary: AU, kidfic. The war is over, and Severus Snape wants out. A reluctant Albus Dumbledore agrees to help him.
1. Chapter 1

"You want WHAT?"

Albus Dumbledore stared at his Potions Master in shock.

The dark haired man sighed softly and lowered his eyes.

"Please, Headmaster. Voldemort is gone; Potter saw to that. I don't have to spy anymore, I don't have any purpose anymore. The students would only be too happy to see me gone. Please. I have never asked you for anything, in all those years."

Dumbledore walked around his desk, pulled the younger man up from his chair and sat them both down on the couch.

"Severus, you know I'd do anything to reward you for your efforts. I had rather hoped that you would be leading a happy life, perhaps marry and start a family…"

Snape looked up at him. "Headmaster…Albus…it's too late for that already. It was too late for that thirty years ago, before I even entered Hogwarts."

"But…you're asking me to let you go."

"Not entirely," Snape corrected, "I'm asking you to return me to infancy. You know it takes both potion and spells, and I have the potion."

"I would still lose you, Severus," Dumbledore softly said, "You never believed me when I told you I do care a great deal for you. I would miss you. Are you sure, absolutely sure, that this is what you want?"

Snape nodded. "Yes, it is. I only ask that you place me in an orphanage some place where people don't know who I am. Perhaps abroad."

Dumbledore stood up and paced the room.

"No," he said, "No, no, no. I can't allow it."

Desperation welled up in the younger wizard's eyes.

"Albus, I always obeyed you. Always tried to do whatever you wanted. Please, don't make me go on like this."

Dumbledore knelt in front of him.

"Child, that's not what I meant. If this is truly what you want, then I will help you, but do not ask me to put you in an orphanage. The only condition I set for my help in this, is that you will allow me to take care of you. Either I will raise you myself, or I will find suitable people to do so, so that I can still be part of your life. Do not ask me to abandon you to some unknown fate."

Snape felt himself choke up, and he leaned forward, resting his head on Dumbledore's shoulder.

The old wizard stroked the dark hair and sighed.

"I take it that's a yes?" he asked.

"Yes!" Snape managed, "I thought you did not want…did not want to be burdened by me."

Dumbledore took his chin. "You are not, nor will you ever be, a burden, child. Now, I want you to take the three days I need to prepare the spells to think long and hard on this. Promise me that."

"I promise," Snape nodded. Then he looked around. "Would I be living here?" he asked.

"Probably," Dumbledore answered, a bit preoccupied.

Snape studied him for a moment. "You are angry with me for wanting this," he mumbled finally, biting his lip.

Dumbledore closed his eyes. "Come here," he said.

Cautiously, Snape approached. Dumbledore encircled the thin shoulders and pulled him to his side. Then he guided him to his private rooms. A small library and study next to a dining room, and beyond that the bedroom. From one of the shelves of the library, Dumbledore took a small booklet with photographs. Snape's jaw fell as he turned the pages of the small photo album.

There were pictures of his years at Hogwarts, taken at the feasts. Clippings from the Daily Prophet, which reported on awards he had won in his last two years at school for his Potions achievements. There was a small gap – his Voldemort years – and then it continued with the pictures taken during his time as a teacher. There were even some of him and Dumbledore together, and it was clear the old wizard was particularly fond of those. They had a place of honor in the book.

Snape looked up at the old man.

"See, child," Dumbledore softly said, "all I want for you is to be happy, and if this plan of yours is the best way to achieve that, I will do my very best. But you wouldn't turn out the same person you are now. The person you are would largely disappear. You would be happier, I would make sure of that. I showed you this, not to make you feel guilty, but to make you understand that I'm not angry. I'm just sad, because to let you have a better life, I have to let you go."

He wasn't prepared for the young man to rush up to him and throw his arms around him, hiding in the folds of his robes.

"Thank you," he heard a muffled voice from somewhere just below his left shoulder, "thank you so much."

He held him protectively; something he had longed to do for many years, but Snape had never allowed anyone to touch him. Somehow, the prospect of getting out of this life, and starting over was already changing the wizard.

Snape finally pulled back.

"Thank you, for everything," he said, picking up the album, "this means…this means so much to me."

"But you still want to go ahead with it," Albus smiled sadly, "even when you finally believe that I do love you, my son," he gently brushed back a strand of black hair.

Snape nodded. "I can't be whole again, Albus," he whispered, "even with you helping me. I need…need to get rid of all this pain. I'm sorry."

"I understand," the headmaster replied, "I'll help you. I'll take care of you, and I promise you that you will be happy this time."

Three days later Dumbledore nodded at a pale, but determined looking Potions Master.

"Everything is ready, child," he said softly, "Are you ready too?"

"I am," was the curt reply. Then, after a pregnant pause: "Are you too?"

The ancient wizard opened his arms. "Please, Severus. Let me say goodbye properly."

As he stepped into the embrace, Snape smiled a real smile for the first time in years.

"I won't be completely gone," he said, feeling a deep desire to comfort the old man, "What will happen is that I will grow up to become the person I should have been, without the pain and sins I carry with me now. This is not the real me, Albus."

Dumbledore hugged him tighter.

"I'm going to the couch," he said, "and take you in my lap. I will perform the spells, and then you must drink the potion."

"You could just put me on a bed, you know," Snape pointed out.

"It'll be better for both of us if we do it this way," the headmaster argued.

"I know," Snape sighed deeply. "Shall we, then?"

Dumbledore nodded, and soon had the Potions Master laying calmly in his arms, dark eyes trustingly looking up at him.

"Severus?"

"Yes?"

"Your robes, child. They would suffocate you if you kept them on like this."

Snape unbuttoned the robes and shrugged the heavy material off his shoulders so he was laying on top of them. The thin shirt he wore underneath wouldn't matter much.

Dumbledore brushed a kiss on his forehead.

"Remember, as soon as I finish the spells, you must drink the potion," he reminded nervously.

"Yes, Albus."

Holding onto the headmasters robes with one hand, Severus kept the vial ready with the other.

Dumbledore began the lengthy sequence of spells. At the last wave of the wand, Severus looked up at him, gulped, and downed the potion in one go. Then he went limp. The vial dropped to the floor as an eery light began to surround the body.

Dropping his wand, the headmaster pulled the man up close, against his chest, snuggled under his chin.

It was only a matter of minutes. The body shrank and shrank until finally, Dumbledore held a three week old baby in his arms.

The dark eyes, still blue at this age, opened, and tiny fingers took a firm hold on his thumb.

The baby didn't cry, but seemed quite confused when silent tears rained upon the tiny face, and kisses were pressed on the soft head.


	2. Chapter 2

After a while, Dumbledore noticed the infant in his arms had fallen asleep. He smiled weakly, and carefully touched the soft cheek.

The little nose wasn't very prominent yet. It looked rather normal. The red lips opened a little to let out a soft sigh as the baby nestled closer to his robes. The head was covered with a thin layer of black hair. All in all, Dumbledore concluded, Severus was a very cute and quite beautiful baby.

Meanwhile, the cute baby had needs. And he discovered the first of those when he felt a bit of wetness.

"Nappy's," the headmaster thought with a small grin.

He hadn't really prepared anything. Up until the last moment, he had hoped that Severus would change his mind.

But, he wasn't a Master of Transfiguration for nothing. Soon, a changing table appeared. Severus's old shirt was removed from the baby and transfigured into a dozen diapers. He charmed them so they wouldn't leak.

The baby, waking up from the cold, starting complaining. The small arms and legs flailed and kicked through the air.

"Yes, yes, my boy, be patient," the old wizard soothed as he gently took hold of the small ankles to put the nappy on the child. There. It had been many years, but such skills were not easily forgotten.

Wrapping the baby warmly in a blanket, he walked over to the infirmary.

"Poppy?" he called.

"In here, Albus," the nurse replied, "I'm just sorting through the new delivery of Potions. Severus brew me a huge supply, and said he wouldn't be able to brew more for some time. Do you know…"

She turned to the headmaster and stopped when she saw the infant in his arms.

"Albus?" she asked, stunned.

"Would you check him, please, to see if he is alright?" Dumbledore requested mildly.

"Of course," the nurse motioned to one of the beds, "put him down there."

She waved her wand over the small form and gasped.

"SEVERUS?"

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "How could you tell?"

She scowled. "His magical signature, for one. Furthermore, some years ago, I took a seminar where they taught us how to magically run a DNA test. Muggles discovered DNA in the early 1980's, and that knowledge slowly made its way into the magical community. I'll explain another time, first tell me WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON?"

Her yelling disturbed the infant, who started to wail, his eyes tightly closed and his face red.

Dumbledore picked him up and rocked him gently. "Shhh, my darling, it's alright. No need to cry so. That's right, settle down."

The baby, with an adorable pout and tears in the dark blue eyes, looked up at him, hiccupped a bit, and settled back into sleep.

"Please don't shout, Poppy," the headmaster requested, "I'll tell you the whole story."

"…and that is how Severus ended up an infant," he finished the tale fifteen minutes later, with many interruptions.

The nurse looked at the baby, now peacefully asleep in the strong arms.

"So what are you going to do with him? Not many wizarding families can take him in. An Orphanage would be the best, I'm sure."

"No," Albus's eyes flashed, "he will not go to an orphanage. I've arranged to adopt him. I already arranged that before he made this request, I just hadn't asked him yet. That he is now a baby doesn't change anything."

Poppy looked at him sceptically.

"Don't you see, Poppy?" Albus nearly pleaded, "I can't just give him away. I never had children of my own, Severus has been like a son to me for years. I always regretted I couldn't save him from his father, and Voldemort. I regretted my own part in driving him to Tom. We all contributed somewhat to making his life more difficult than it should have been. Now I get a chance to make that up to him."

"It seems to me, he brought a lot of the difficulties on himself, Albus," the nurse said, "I know he sacrificed a great deal in the war, but by Merlin's beard, he was a Death Eater! He had quite some things to atone for. And the way he treated his students…"

The headmaster sighed. "Fine. But I agreed with him, I supported his decision, and I'm not abandoning him now. I'm adopting him, and I will raise him."

"Forgive me, Albus, but you are nearly 160. What are the chances of you living long enough to see that boy grow up again?"

The headmaster cradled the baby, and smiled. "I'm a descendant of Merlin, Poppy. We live long lives. My father and grandfather both lived past 250. I don't plan on departing just yet. But, I will search for a suitable guardian who can look after him should anything happen to me."

The nurse nodded mutely. Then she cleared her throat.

"Yes, well, nothing is wrong with him. He's a healthy 20 day old baby. Here are instructions for his formula."

Nodding his thanks, Dumbledore returned to his office. Once there, he called a house elf. Dobby appeared.

"I thought you had gone with Harry," Albus said, surprised.

"Dobby did," the elf answered, "but Harry is receiving your letter and is going to be coming here soon. The houses is already packed up, so Harry sent Dobby ahead to visit Winky and have a holidays. But Dobby no likes holidays, so Dobby came to see what Dobby can do for Professor Dumbledore, sir."

Then the elf noticed the baby.

"Ooooh! Professor Dumbledore sir has a baby?"

Albus smiled. "Yes, Dobby. I need some things for him. If I give you some money, would you mind picking up some things for him?"

Dobby clearly longed to get a closer look at the infant, but was afraid to ask. Dumbledore squatted down and showed the sleeping Severus to the awed elf.

"It is being a pretty baby," Dobby whispered, stroking the black hair with his finger.

"Yes, he is," Albus said, feeling strangely proud at the comment.

"What will professor Dumbledore be needing, sir?"

"Bottles. Clothes. A crib. One of those cloth things to carry him around in on my chest…I don't remember what they're called. Oh, and can the kitchen elves make this formula?" he asked, holding out the note Pomfrey had given him.

"Dobby is taking care of it, Headmaster sir!"

Albus gave him a bag of galleons. "That should be enough, but if it's not, come back for more. And a stuffed toy. Not too big, and soft. A teddybear or something like that."

Dobby nodded, and hesitated. "Will professor Dumbledore sir be needing a pram?"

"Of course, thank you, Dobby, I forgot. And nappy's and wipes. You know what? Just buy whatever else you think he needs."

Kissing the baby gently, he made a nest of pillows in his bed and laid the infant in it.

Harry Potter knocked on the headmaster's door some two hours later.

"Ah, Harry," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled a bit, "come in, my boy. How have you been?"

Harry lowered himself in a chair.

"I've been alright," he said, "I'm slowly improving. The healers say they don't expect a full recovery, but I should continue to improve with this new treatment."

His thoughts went back to the final battle. Yes, he had defeated Voldemort. But the victory had come at a price for him. A hex had severed his spinal cord, and he ended up paralyzed from the waist down. The healers had managed to repair the worst of the damage, but his legs were still weak. After much therapy, he could now walk relatively normal, but he tired easily and his legs would give way from under him when he did. Magical braces solved that problem, but he hated using them. The healers encouraged him to walk on his own as much as he could, but keep the braces at hand just in case.

Now, eight months after the final battle, and at the start of a the holidays, he had accepted Dumbledore's offer to teach History of Magic.

At first he had wondered about that; he had expected DADA. He voiced this thought to the old man now.

"I know, but Alastor agreed to teach DADA. Says he wants to make sure there are capable candidates available for Auror training before he retires for the second time."

Albus closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Harry."

The young man smiled wryly. "Don't be. I had already decided I didn't want to be an Auror before the final battle. That's why I didn't fall apart when the healers told me that. I do wonder why you want me to teach History, though."

"Isn't that obvious, Harry? Binns, may he rest in peace, never taught anything but the goblin wars. A new teacher would deify you. You have close ties to the goblins, house elves, centaurs and many other races. You can teach the real history. Honestly, it was down to you or Hermione, but I need her to teach Potions."

Harry looked up in surprise. "Potions? But Snape…"

Albus sighed. "Harry…I know you despise him…"

Shrugging, the boy traced a pattern on the desk with his fingers. "Not exactly. We just don't like each other. I respect what he has done in the war, however. But where is he? Is he leaving Hogwarts?"

He frowned when the headmaster closed his eyes.

"Harry…Severus has…has been unhappy for all of his life. His childhood was…was not unlike yours. A few days ago he approached me with a request. A request to be returned to infancy and given the chance to redo his life. He is currently a three week old baby."

Harry stared. He detected no lie in the headmasters words, and Snape had taught him well. After they had sorted out some differences, Occlumency lessons had been a success. While he would have trouble breaking into Albus's mind, he WAS able to detect if the old man was lying.

"A baby?" he said finally.

Upon receiving a nod, he sighed.

"Very well. I guess I can understand that. It wouldn't be my choice, but I can see why he would want that. You aren't going to send him to an orphanage, are you?"

The old wizard smiled inwardly, noticing how different the question was with Harry than it had been with the nurse. Harry wouldn't wish growing up without parents on anyone.

"I've adopted him," the headmaster reassured him, "if you…if you wish to see him…"

Harry shook his head. Why should he care about the greasy git? "No thank you. Anyway, about History…"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N For all those who commented: Yes, another kidfic.** **Apparently kidfics are highly addictive. I couldn't help myself. But, if you want me to write another genre…I'm open to suggestions.**

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!"

The young man so named froze in midstep and gulped. He knew that voice all too well.

Hermione Granger stormed up to him, dropping her bags carelessly on the floor of the Entrance Hall.

"NEARLY A YEAR!" She raged at him, "Nearly a year, and no word, no return owl, refusing to see us…"

She raised her hand to slap him, when she caught the sad and ashamed look in his eyes.

"Harry," she whispered, and enfolded him in a hug.

He sighed into her hair. "I'm sorry, 'Mione."

"Yeah, well," the witch managed through her tears, "you better have one hell of an explanation, or I'll sic Ron and the twins on you. Or Molly."

She felt him shiver and chuckle at the same time. "Not Molly, please, not Molly," he pleaded.

"I promise I'll owl them all. Honestly. I just…" he stared at the floortiles, "I was so embarrassed."

"At what, Harry?" Hermione asked gently, "at being wounded?"

"Needing care," he bit his lip as it trembled, "not being able to walk. Not being…for Merlin's sake, Mi, for months I had to wear diapers because I couldn't feel…couldn't…"

He sobbed softly, and rested his head on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

Hermone stroked his hair. "We would have been there for you, and we wouldn't have cared. Please, Harry, don't disappear on us again."

Harry snickered. "No chance, Mi. We're going to be colleagues, didn't you hear?"

Her eyes widened. "But…I thought Mad-Eye was going to teach DADA?"

"He is," Harry confirmed, "Albus asked me to teach History. He needs you for Potions."

"You know, he wrote that," Hermione frowned, "Is something wrong with Snape?"

Harry hesitated. "I think I better let the Headmaster explain."

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"Bloody, stupid…by Godric's beard," Harry moaned, "I'm getting fed up with this. Dobby?"

He leaned against the wall where he had collapsed. His legs had given way from under him once again – the travelling and stress of moving had probably tired him more than he had realized.

"DOBBY?"

A tiny house elf appeared. "Dobby is not being in the castle, sir, Dobby is…MASTER HARRY POTTER!" the tiny elf grabbed his hand and pressed kisses on it.

"Winky?" Harry asked, gently getting the elf to release his hand, and studying her.

She was looking healthy, clothes clean, and no longer smelling of butterbeer.

"Where's Dobby, Winky?"

"Dobby is being out, Master Harry, shopping for Headmaster's baby. Dobby is liking babies. Can Winky help Master Harry?"

Harry sighed. "My bag," he pointed to the small backpack he carried around, "when I fell, I dropped it. It's out of my reach. My braces are inside. I can't walk to my rooms to rest without them."

Winky nodded, and quickly retrieved the bag.

"Winky will do that," she said, when Harry made to take the shrunken braces.

The little elf quickly returned them to their original size, and put them on. Harry, who had his eyes closed, looked up in surprise.

"That didn't hurt," he checked his legs, "they're perfectly in place. How did you do that?"

The elf shrugged, "Winky knows these things," she said shyly, "Winky was training to be a Healer Elf once, before master Barty…"

She didn't cry, but looked decidedly depressed.

"Can you help me to my rooms, Winky?" Harry asked, smiling encouragingly.

Walking with the braces was awkward, but after months of practicing, he managed well. Winky kept by his side, ready to help him if he needed it.

"Master Harry needs to go to bed," she said sternly, when Harry made for the couch.

"I need to…erm…you know," Harry blushed.

Winky nodded in understanding, and waved her hand. Harry blinked as his bladder was suddenly empty. He quickly checked his pants for stains, but found none.

Winky grinned. "Healer Elves learns that spell first," she smirked. She pulled him up and helped him to bed without fuss, so that Harry hardly noticed he WAS being helped.

After some final instructions, Harry sighed softly and was asleep before Winky had expertly removed the braces from his legs.

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Dumbledore was a bit stunned at the large supply of baby things that had appeared in his office, accompanied by Dobby, but he simply thanked the elf for his troubles and asked him to quietly set up the crib in the small room that used to be his guest room, and would now be the nursery.

Severus had woken up while they were doing that, crying loudly.

"He is being hungry," Dobby said in sympathy.

"As he should be," Dumbledore commented, over the wailing, "but he definitely needs a clean nappy first."

Dobby had moved the changing table to the nursery, and brought in a clean nappy, wipes, a romper suit and a small, green, footed pyjama.

Dumbledore quickly remove the dirty nappy, cleaned the infant up and put on the nappy and new clothes.

Severus's wails had lessened after his clean-up, but he still fussed a little, trying to suck on Dumbledore's robes.

"Dobby…"

"Bottle is ready in the office, Headmaster sir," Dobby responded.

The headmaster settled on the couch, Severus in the crook of his arm, and picked up the bottle.

"Charmed," Dobby bounced happily, "will always keep the formula at the perfect temperature. Leak proof. Lady in shop said so."

Dumbledore rested the nipple against the lower lip. The small mouth opened eagerly and took the nipple, sucking away happily. One tiny hand rested on the adult one holding the bottle and the half-closed eyes observed Dumbledore in contentment.

A knock on the door, and the Deputy Headmistress entered.

"Albus, Poppy said…" she took in the scene before her, and pressed her lips together.

"It is true, then."

"If Poppy told you that this baby is Severus, yes, it is true."

The witch eyed the baby curiously. "Apart from the black hair, he doesn't resemble Severus much."

Pausing a moment to let the little one burp, Dumbledore shrugged a bit. "His eyes aren't black yet, of course. They probably will be in a few weeks to months."

"Poppy says you're planning on raising him yourself," McGonagall commented, "how are you going to do that, with all your duties as a headmaster?"

"You are here," Dumbledore pointed out, "Hermione probably won't mind helping. She can take over some of your Head of House duties should you wish it."

Lips still thin in disapproval, the Transfigurations teacher nodded, and took her leave.

Dumbledore cuddled the now burped baby close.

"They'll get used to it, my boy, won't they? Hmmm, yes they will, my precious, they will."

Winky appeared.

"Headmaster, sir," she said softly.

"Yes, Winky?"

The little elf blushed. "Could Dobby be here too, headmaster sir? I has a message from Harry Potter sir."

Dobby poked his head around the door.

"Harry Potter sir asks Winky to be his elf," the little elf straightened proudly, "and asks that Winky helps take care of Hary Potter sir. Harry Potter sir says if Dobby and Headmaster sir wishes, Dobby is free to help Headmaster sir with the little baby as much as Dobby likes."

Dumbledore smiled; that was a thoughtful gesture of the young man. Dobby certainly liked the baby.

"Absolutely, Winky, I think we are all pleased with that arrangement. Has Harry said anything else?"

Winky lowered her eyes.

"Winky?"

"Harry Potter sir is too good for Winky," the elf mumbled, "Harry Potter sir asks headmaster to let Winky go back to Healer Elf school."

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The next day, Harry sat in his new classroom, magicking Binn's old stuff away, and putting up new, interesting things to use in his classes.

"Harry? I mean, Professor Potter?" the headmaster's eyes twinkled.

Harry smiled. "Hello sir. I hope you don't mind that I'm updating the classroom a bit."

"Not at all, dear boy, not at all."

"I'd also like to take some lessons outside. I find that learning about great battles is much easier when we're allowed to re-enact them."

"Certainly. I'm sure the students will appreciate the changes."

Harry chuckled a bit, remembering his own History classes, and moved on to create a living timeline on the back wall of the classroom.

"I must thank you, Harry, for your arrangements with Winky and Dobby," Dumbledore settled on one of the tables, "that was most thoughtful."

Harry shrugged. "Dobby means well, but he never quite got the hang of caring for me. Winky managed to put my braces on and off yesterday without hurting me. This arrangement is mostly for my own benefit. And of course, it wouldn't do for you to get overworked."

The old man's twinkle increased. "Of course, my boy, whatever you say."

When the old man had left, Harry scowled, and threw Merlin to the wall with such force that the wizard glared at him.


	4. Chapter 4

Two weeks went by. Harry settled in, helped by Winky. Now that he had a normal routine, and got enough rest, his legs didn't trouble him much. No doubt that would change when teaching began.

He had taken to relaxing on a lounge in front of his windows in the late afternoon, gathering his strength and quietly sketching or planning his lessons. Hermione had been by a couple of times, as well as some other staff members, but they had their own lessons to prepare, and he still tended to avoid people.

That afternoon, though, a knock on his door heralded a visitor. Winky opened the door to the headmaster.

Putting down his pencil, Harry made to get up, but Dumbledore quickly motioned for him to remain seated.

"Don't bother, my boy. How are you?"

"Fine," Harry responded, "it's been rather quiet. I suppose that will change once the students arrive."

"No doubt, no doubt," the old wizard nodded as he took a sip from the tea Winky had thoughtfully provided. Harry smiled gratefully at her.

"I haven't seen you much," Dumbledore continued, "so I figured it was about time I'd come have tea." He peeked at the sketches.

"I never knew you enjoyed that particular activity, Harry."

"I didn't," Harry bluntly closed the book, "but the healers thought it would be beneficial for me to try. It was this, or journalling. I chose the lesser of the two evils."

Dumbledore's twinkle and eccentric behavior completely disappeared as he leaned forward ever so slightly.

"What happened, my boy?"

Harry's eyes became distant. "I lost," he whispered.

"But…" Dumbledore started in confusion.

"Oh, I won the battle. But I lost my war. I thought, foolish me, that once Voldemort was gone, I could live happily ever after, forever free. Instead, I woke up in a hospital bed, unable to move, unable to take care of myself."

"Harry…"

Ignoring the interruption, Harry went on. "Dark and difficult years, you once said, when you spoke about leaving me at the Dursleys. That was quite the understatement. Did you know they came to taunt me, shortly after I'd been admitted? They said no one cared, and they were right; I'd been there for a week and no one had come to see me."

Dumbledore closed his eyes. It was true. There had been so many wounded. Including four of the Weasleys and Remus Lupin. Everyone wanted to be with their family, and so Harry had been alone. The young man who had given everything had woken up alone in a strange room. In the confused chaos, it had been a while before they had realized that.

"I understand it now," Harry whispered, "but it hurt. And when they did come to see me, I was angry, and afraid. Angry because they left me for so long, and afraid they would say the same thing as my relatives did. After the first weeks, when the healers repaired enough of the damage for me to go to therapy, I didn't want anything to do with anybody."

He sighed. "It's only a minor handicap, all considered, headmaster. If I take proper care of myself, it is now just a major inconvenience, not a handicap. But to me, it represents all I've had to give up. My parents, my childhood, schooling, a career of my own choice."

It was silent for a long time.

"Do you know what the worst part is?" the young man finally asked.

"It was waking up every morning knowing Voldemort is dead. Waking up knowing I had done everything I was supposed to do – born to do – and now I have no purpose. Heroes aren't supposed to survive their destiny. They either die or go on to new heroic adventures. They don't end up a useless cripple at the age of twenty."

Dumbledore felt a tear run down his face, into his beard. "I'm sorry, Harry. I know it's too little, too late, but I am sorry."

Harry nodded, but it was clear he hadn't accepted the apology. "I guess Snape and I aren't so different," he mused, "we both suddenly lacked purpose. He has chosen his way out. I'm still searching for mine."

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Dumbledore left Dobby to babysit Severus and went to the staff dinner table for the first time in two weeks.

"Headmaster," his staff greeted enthusiastically, "good to see you."

He smiled, patted shoulders, and they chatted idly while they ate.

"I suppose Sinistra will be the new Head of Slytherin," Clemens Vector boomed in his deep voice.

"I've offered, but she refused," Dumbledore said, smiling at the witch in question.

"That leaves us with a problem then," McGonagall commented.

"Bloody selfish thing to do," Flitwick squeeked, "leave us with a Head short this close to the school year."

Dumbledore froze.

"I really prefer you didn't speak of Severus in this manner," his voice was soft and polite, but deadly none the less.

"I really couldn't bear that," he continued, staring his staff down, "because that baby upstairs, is not Severus Snape. They share genes, they share magic, but in all other ways, they are two seperate persons. Severus Snape, your colleague, our Potions Master, my son, is dead. He isn't coming back. So speak of him with a little respect!"

He ran from the room, not ready to have his staff see his tears.

Once in his office, he sat at his desk, buried his head in his arms and cried.

"Severus, my son, my dear child," he sobbed, clutching the photo album to his chest.

Finally, Dobby put a sleep spell on him and levitated him to bed, photo album and all.

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Hermione looked up in surprise the next day, when Harry appeared in the doorway to the lab.

"Hi, 'Mi. Can I come in?"

She smiled. "Of course. Though I remember a time you wouldn't be caught dead voluntarily entering these rooms."

Harry grinned. "Times change. Seventh year wasn't so bad. Occlumency was going alright by then. Snape…"

He stopped. Hermione, too, looked away.

"Snape is dead, Harry," she softly said, "you should have heard Albus last night. He called him 'my son'. I think…I think he was crying when he ran out of the room."

Harry nodded in recognition.

"He had a hard life," he finally admitted, "I can't blame him for wanting out."

The witch looked at him. "Neither can I," she said, her eyes betraying that she understood HIS attempt to get out just as well.

Blushing, he left as quickly as he could.

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Dobby had his day off. Both Dumbledore and Harry had insisted he kept it.

That same day, Dumbledore received a summons to the Ministry to finalize the adoption papers.

"That does present a problem," he told the child as he changed the nappy, "because Dobby is out too. You like Dobby, don't you?"

He tickled the baby's tummy with his long fingers.

"I will take you to Aunt Minerva. When she sees how adorable you are, she'll spoil you rotten."

Quickly replacing the clothes, he put the infant in the pram, and covered him securely. A diaper bag was filled with a bottle, nappy's and wipes.

They proceeded quickly, due to the fact that the pram was magical; it floated through the air, making it very easy to go down the stairs. Best of all, it came with an Anti-Poltergeist charm.

"Oooooh, ickle baby," Peeves cackled as he threw a waterballoon at the pram. He flew away cursing when balloon bounced off an invisible shield and hit him instead.

Dumbledore smiled and knocked on the Deputy's door.

"Minerva, would you mind looking after Severus for the afternoon? Dobby is unavailable, and I need to go to the Ministry."

The witch stepped aside to allow them to enter.

"Everything you need is in the bag," Dumbledore said, "he'll need a bottle in about an hour, but the house elves know the formula; they'll fill it for you."

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Late in the afternoon, Harry dropped by his old Head of House on his way back to his rooms. He had a sudden appetite for ginger newts, and a few questions he wanted to ask her. She was, after all, an experienced teacher.

As he entered, he noticed the pram in a corner of the office. His magic sense also noticed the Silencing Charm on it.

"Babysitting?" he asked.

The witch snorted. "First he insists on being kiddified, and then Albus insists on inflicting him on all of us."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "It was Dumbledore's choice to adopt him."

The Transfigurations teacher shrugged. "The war was over, and he could have found something else to give his life purpose, like we've all had to. Instead, he took the easy way out, and insisted on becoming a burden."

She didn't notice Harry pale at her words.

"And the Silencing Charm?" the young man almost whispered.

"He kept wailing," McGonagall explained, "I say they botched the spell. He's as vocal and insistant as ever."

Harry nodded, and left the office to get his afternoon rest. He had walked exactly three corridors before the harsh words almost choked him. He turned around.

"No. You don't care," he muttered, and took three hesitating steps in the direction of his rooms again.

"Oh bloody hell." Making up his mind, he walked back into the office.

"Yes, Mr Potter…Harry?"

Harry walked over to the pram, and saw the red face, the desperate tears of the inconsolable child.

"A burden," he mumbled, as he lifted the baby from the blankets awkwardly.

He turned to the witch, his nose a bit wrinkled. "You haven't changed him," he concluded, "did you feed him? Never mind," he put the baby back in the pram, cast a Finite – causing the noise level to rise drastically – "I'm taking him. I wouldn't want you to be _burdened_ by him."

The last words were very close to a sneer.

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Back in his rooms, Harry called for Winky.

"Winky, dear sweet Winky," he said helplessly, "I need help. This one needs a clean diaper and a bottle. But before that, I need my braces, or I won't be standing long enough to do it."

When the braces were on, Harry put the blankets on the table, and the baby on top of those. Then he studied the contents of the diaper bag.

"Winky?" his helpless look made the house elf smile.

"You's be taking the dirty nappy off," she instructed, "and yous be needing the wipes to clean."

Harry nearly gagged, but followed instructions. Which wasn't easy. Harry hadn't any experience with children. Failing to hold Severus by his ankles while he cleaned his bottom, Harry had to remove and clean a little foot several times before he discovered the right method. At last, Severus was clean.

"Now yous be taking the nappy, the clean one…and yous put it on."

That part, at least, was relatively simple. Soon a clean, nice smelling baby looked up at Harry.

"How…how do I hold him?"

"Yous must be supporting its head always," Winky explained, "yous hold it like this."

She had found Severus's teddy bear and demonstrated the most common way to hold a baby.

Harry obeyed, and blushed a little as Severus turned his head, searching frantically for a nipple.

"Erm…"

"Here, Master Harry," Winky said, handing him the full bottle.

"Yous just sit on the lounge and feed baby, Winky will take care of dirty nappy."

Harry relaxed into the lounge, focusing on the hungry infant. The contents of the bottle were rapidly disappearing.

That is how a frantic Dumbledore found them not ten minutes later when he stormed into Harry's rooms.

"Severus!"

"Over here, Albus," Harry called, "in the lounge."

Severus drank the last miligrams of formula when the headmaster sat down next to them.

"Now what?" Harry asked, holding up the empty bottle.

"You burp him," Dumbledore explained, "you put a cloth over your shoulder, and then you hold him up against you, his head on your shoulder. Pat his back softly until he burps."

Harry obeyed. "What's the cloth for?" he asked.

The answer came instantly as a small fountain of milk returned along with the air.

"Oh…gross," Harry moaned. He took the baby in his arms and removed the cloth.

"Thanks for the warning," he glared at the headmaster.

"You're welcome," the old man said, "could you now perhaps explain why Severus is here, and not with Minerva where I left him?"

Harry sighed, and related the events of the past hour.

"I never thought," Dumbledore muttered, shaking his head, "I believed so easily that everyone would overcome their aversion to Severus as soon as they saw him. I guess I was wrong."

He reached out and stroked a soft cheek.

"I couldn't leave him with anyone who considered him a burden," Harry reluctantly explained, "how can a baby be a burden to anyone? Oh, Albus, look!"

He needn't have warned. Dumbledore practically beamed with happiness as the baby's mouth curled into his first, hesitant smile.


	5. Chapter 5

Dumbledore carefully tucked Severus into his pram, covering him with the – scourgified – blankets.

"Now I know why Molly goes on and on about the first time her children smiled," the old wizard leaned forward over the pram to kiss the infant.

"Yes," Harry said, his eyes closed. Albus looked up, and frowned in concern when he saw the pale face and dark smudges under the eyes.

"Harry…"

"Just tired," the young man muttered, "I was tired already before I stopped by Minerva, and I never cared for a baby before."

The headmaster leaned over the lounge and repeated the tucking and kissing procedure with his young History teacher.

Harry's eyes opened in shock when he felt a kiss brushed on his forehead.

"What the…"

Dumbledore rested his hand on the unruly black hair.

"I've always cared about you, Harry," sad blue eyes met emerald green, "you weren't just the Boy Who Lived to me. I know you don't believe me, but that won't stop me from finally acting towards you the way I should have from the beginning."

The wizard gulped. "You're not going to catch up on all the telling-offs you should have given me over the years, but didn't, are you?"

They stared at each other for long seconds until finally, they started to laugh.

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Leaving Harry and Severus, both fast asleep, in the care of Winky and Dobby, Dumbledore decided to pay a visit to his Deputy.

He knocked, entered, and sat down in front of the desk.

For minutes on end, he didn't say a word. The Transfigurations professor stared, looked away, fidgeted, and eventually outright squirmed as if she was seventeen instead of over seventy.

"Why, Minerva?" Albus finally sighed.

The witch raised her chin defiantly. "Harry simply stormed in, and took the child. He…"

"He took him, because you put a Silencing charm on the pram and let him cry, without changing his nappy or feeding him. He took him because you called him a burden. Why, Minerva? Please, make me understand. The Minerva I know would never have done such a thing."

Suddenly, the women looked every bit her age.

"We are all tired from this war. We all have to return to lives we had all but forgotten. Severus..."

"Did more than any of us," Dumbledore nearly whispered.

"Yes," she admitted, staring at her hands, folded on the desk in front of her, "yes. Only…we never did understand him. None of us did. No one but you. Of course we know how much he sacrificed…but all of us are all but spent."

Dumbledore nodded in understanding. "I should have realized. Still, I must insist you don't take out your frustrations on a baby again, Minerva. I can't force you to care for him, or even like him. I'm sorry if you felt I forced him onto you earlier. But please, stay away from him as long as you feel so resentful towards him."

McGonagall blushed deeply. "I don't know what came over me. There was so much work to do and his crying kept me from focusing. Before I knew, I had cast the charm…"

"I think," the headmaster said thoughtfully, "that we need a quiet year. The administrative responsibilities are quite extensive, and take up a lot of energy from both of us. Energy that we need, especially now. I am going to hire us a secretary."

The Head of Gryffindor looked up in utter surprise. "A secretary?"

"Yes. Someone who can take care of most of the paperwork for us. You know, sort the mail so we only get the important letters while he or she takes care of the others. That should ease everyone's workload a little."

Minerva's eyes misted over. "You would do that? After what I did?"

Her old professor patted her hands. "Of course, my dear. I will see if I can get us someone within a forthnight."

He stood up to leave. "Let me know when you are ready," his smile was genuine but his eyes remained sad, "when you are, I would love to introduce my grandson to you."

"Grandson?"

"It is the easiest way to look at the little one," Albus bit his lip, "to think of him as my grandson. He could, in some ways, be considered Severus's son. Until he is old enough to understand, that is how I will explain things to him."

"So…Severus…really isn't coming back? This is not just…a temporary arrangement?"

For the first time, a little sorrow shone in the witch's eyes.

"No," the old man replied, his voice tight with grief, "no. As I said before, Severus is gone. All that remains is a baby who will look like him, but end up a different person. Technically, Severus isn't dead – but in reality, that is how it is. Severus Snape is dead, and Severus Dumbledore has only just started his life."

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"Albus?"

Harry looked around the rooms, but saw no headmaster.

"ALBUS?"

At last a voice came. "Over here, Harry, in the bathroom."

A bit worried that he was summoned into the bathroom with the headmaster, Harry entered.

Dumbledore had levitated a baby bath, and was busy undressing Severus.

"So nice of you to show up early, my boy," he said, lifting the naked infant in his arms, "now you get to help me give him a bath."

He gently eased the baby into the water, the head resting on his forearm, while he held the child in place with his the fingers of that hand under the tiny armpit.

Severus sighed – being undressed and manhandled into a bath is apparently hard work – and relaxed into the water.

"He loves this," Albus chuckled, "I imagine one day he will start purring. He's close enough to it."

And indeed, the baby was making distinct sounds of complete contentment. Harry smiled.

"What brings you here this early, Harry?"

"Hmm? Oh, well, I heard you were looking for a secretary. When I was in hospital, I met a girl about my age; she went to a smaller school somewhere in Cornwall or Devon, I think it was. Anyway, she got hurt pretty bad in the war, but she's recovered now. We still write occasionally. She worked with the Ministry, doing some sort of administrative job as well. She's good at that, but she hated the Ministry. Now that she has been discharged from the hospital, she's looking for a job. I figured she might be interested."

"Contact her, if you will, Harry, and have her come in for an interview as soon as is convenient for her. What's her name?"

"Phoebe. Phoebe Falcon-Ashley." Harry watched as Dumbledore lifted the baby from the water, causing a loud angry protest.

"This part he hates," Dumbledore commented, and quickly wrapped the baby up in a towel.

"Here, Harry, you dry him off. Don't rub, just pat with the towel. Make sure you dry everywhere."

A bit hesitant, Harry started drying. Severus calmed as he got over the shock of being lifted from his warm bath, and enthusiastically flailed arms and legs about, hitting Harry's hand.

"Hey, careful there, Junior," Harry smirked, "I'll have to teach you proper fighting techniques when you're older."

Accepting a nappy from Dumbledore, he powdered and dressed the child. Albus hovered close, offering advice when needed.

"There," Harry said contently, when he had finally managed to dress the child in his romper suit, soft pants, shirt, and a baby-sized robe, "all done, Junior."

Junior showed little appreciation for Harry's rapidly improving childcare skills. He simply yawned and went to sleep again.

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The young woman hesitatingly stepped out of the carriage that had picked her up from Hogsmeade station and looked at the castle.

"Phoebe!"

She smiled happily as she saw a familiar black-haired figure on the steps.

"Harry! This place is even grander than you ever told me," she took her handbag from the carriage and climbed the stairs.

"There's no way to describe her and do right by her," Harry smiled as he kissed her on the cheek, "how are you?"

"It's been strange, outside the hospital," she admitted, "as you probably know full well yourself. Thanks for thinking of me when the headmaster mentioned this job."

"How could I not? Come, let's go in. The headmaster is waiting for you."

She bit her lip. "Have you…told him…about…"

Harry shook his head. "I didn't know if you'd want me to. If you wish, I can go in first and tell him."

Shaking her head, the witch climbed the stairs determinedly. "No. No, that's alright."

They entered the office together – Phoebe not having the password – and found Albus Dumbledore behind his desk.

The headmaster looked up. Only years of experience allowed him to keep the shock from his face as he saw the young woman.

She was quite handsome. Or rather, she used to be. She had a nice figure, although she stood at only 5'1". Her eyes were a warm, deep brown and long, auburn hair reached the middle of her back.

Over her face, from her left eyebrow, crossing her cheek and ending just above her chin, was a long, ragged curse scar.

"Good afternoon, headmaster," the young woman said bravely, "I am Phoebe Falcon-Ashley. I hope I find you well?"

Harry left the room and went into the headmasters library to babysit Severus while Albus conducted the interview. He paced the room nervously for nearly an hour, wishing he could hear something, anything from the other room.

At last, he was allowed back in. Phoebe rushed up to him and threw her arms around his neck.

"Thank you, Harry, thank you!"

Dumbledore smiled and his eyes twinkled brightly.

"May I introduce you to our newest staff member, Harry?"


	6. Chapter 6

"WAAAAHHHHHH!"

Albus Dumbledore groaned and resisted the temptation to hide his head under his pillow.

"I'm getting too old for this," he muttered as he got up and padded over to the nursery.

"Severus, my darling, won't you give your old granpa even a few hours rest?" he asked the bawling child.

"WAAAHHHH!"

"Guess not," Dumbledore concluded. He picked up the infant and cuddled him. Severus continued to cry unhappily.

"Yes, I know, my sweet child, I know. Your tummy hurts, doesn't it?" Dumbledore soothed as he carried the child, the youngster laying face down on his arm.

Severus spluttered a bit but quieted. Dumbledore rubbed the small back.

"Good, sweetheart."

After an hour of pacing his rooms with the infant on his arm, constantly speaking in a soothing voice, some loud noises and subsequent bad smell indicated that whatever had been bothering Severus was now passed.

Dumbledore quickly changed the tired child's nappy. He smiled when the tiny thumb found the mouth and Severus started to suckle.

"Why don't you come with grandpa for the few remaining hours," Dumbledore cradled the baby and walked to his bedroom, feeling cold.

After securely covering Severus whilst making sure he would not be in danger of suffocating, Dumbledore leaned on his elbow and watched the sleeping infant.

It had been a month since his de-aging, and Severus had grown quite a bit on the house-elves's formula. Albus had never known Severus being anything but thin, nearly skeletal sometimes when he had been ill or hurt, but now Junior was healthy with the babyfat in all the right places.

"I should have a look at all Severus's medical files," the headmaster mused, "to see what caused him to be so thin. Perhaps we can avoid it this time."

He closed his eyes to catch a few more hours of sleep. There was no longer any reason to get up at a ridiculously early hour like he had done for years. Phoebe was proving to be a very efficient help to him and Minerva, which meant that on mornings like these, when Severus had been having a bad night, he could sleep in a bit.

Of course, sleeping in for him was about seven am.

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Harry woke at six, as he usually did. Hoisting himself out of bed, he did the excercizes his Healers had prescribed for him, and then rewarded himself for his effort with a nice hot bath. Winky usually made sure the Prophet was lying by the bath so he could read it while soaking.

This morning, however, Harry didn't feel much like reading.

The students were due to return soon, and he was ready. Nervous, at being a teacher for the first time, especially for a class he himself had always loathed, but feeling excited all the same.

Of course, Phoebe had helped him immensely.

A smile lit his face. Despite the gloomy months in the hospital, he and Phoebe had pulled through. They had encouraged each other, cried with each other, and often they had also laughed together. Especially after pulling pranks on the staff.

Their goodbyes had been difficult, both frightened to face the world again, and without each other at that.

"What use is a crippled Savior?" Harry had once asked Phoebe bitterly, "the next crisis that comes around, they will all turn to me and I won't be able to save them again. They will see me in the streets, and be disgusted because they expect a strong, tall, powerful hero, not a small skinny man who can't keep himself upright without using these horrid braces."

"You were a small, skinny boy when you saved them," Phoebe pointed out, "and I understand, Harry. People…people are used to me as a pretty girl. Open and outgoing. But I'm not that anymore, and they will be disappointed. You have tried to live up to people's expectations for so long, Harry. It's time to let that go now, or you'll end up bitter. Your magic is restoring itself and you have so much left to give."

"Mushy girl talk," Harry had groused, but sent her a grateful look all the same.

And now she was here at Hogwarts. He didn't have to face the student masses alone. Hermione would do her best as well, but she didn't understand. Not really. Not like Phoebe.

He frowned. "Those students had better be nice to her, or I'll deduct so many points their grandkids will be making up for them."

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At the Feast on September first Severus was two months old. Albus thought he was amazingly cute. The baby's eyes darkened every day, and would soon be black. Meanwhile, the black hair was growing and Dumbledore couldn't get enough of seeing the adorable dimples in the soft cheeks when the child smiled.

Of course, he did admit he might be slightly prejudiced.

Phoebe had taken a liking to the baby as well, and coo'ed over him regularly. Severus always welcomed her sweet nonsensical chatter with a ready smile and wild flailing of legs and arms.

This evening, Dumbledore carried the infant in a cloth on his chest. The baby was asleep, having been fed and changed prior to the arrival of the First Years.

The Sorting started.

Phoebe, sitting next to Harry, and like him, trying to hide by sinking as deep into her chair as possible, forgot her nerves for a little while as she watched the children get onto the stool.

"Bartholomew, Gerald," McGonagall called out.

A brown haired boy with startling blue eyes hopped onto the stool.

"Gryffindor," the hat decided after nearly a minute.

Harry applauded along with the rest of the staff.

"Does it make them more special to you, if they are sorted into your house?" Phoebe asked.

Her own school hadn't had houses, only girls and boys dormitories.

"A bit, I suppose," Harry answered, as 'Carson, Alan,' was sorted into Ravenclaw.

"But in the war I've learned to appreciate the strengths of each House. More than that, I've learned that there is more to a person than their House, and we run the risk of labelling people prematurely if we consider their House only."

Phoebe nodded, and smiled when a tiny girl climbed onto the stool.

"Who is she, Albus?" Harry asked the Headmaster, "there's no way she is eleven!"

Albus chuckled. "You weren't bigger than that when you started school, Harry. But you are right; she is nearly ten years old. She lost her parents in the war, and the Muggle orphanage where she was staying asked me to admit her early."

"Slytherin!" the hat shouted after a few moment's consideration, and Fiona Grendel happily skipped over to the appropriate table. The Slytherins looked doubtful: she was small and obviously younger, but there had been preciously few additions to their house the past few years. They would take whomever they could get.

"Surprising," Dumbledore remarked, "She is amazingly advanced for her age. I had expected Ravenclaw."

The Sorting concluded with 'Xavier, Daniel' and after that Dumbledore rose.

"A few announcements, before you can dive into the food provided by our excellent house elves," he said, softly patting the bag on his chest.

"For our older students: welcome back. You will notice some changes in the staff. First of all, professor Binns has retired. With the help of a house elf, he is now writing a book on the Goblin wars, which I am sure you all will be happy to purchase once it is done…"

The students, and most of the staff, snorted collectively. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"Yes. Well. Of course, there is the yearly need for a DADA professor, and I am glad that the curse has now been broken. We hope to have Alastor Moody with us for at least a year or three before his second retirement."

Polite applause followed from the older students. The younger students were a tad scared.

"History of Magic will be taught by Harry Potter," Dumbledore continued.

Applause rang through the hall, especially from the Gryffindor table. Harry stood briefly, smiled tensely, and sat back down.

"Furthermore," Dumbledore sobered, "Potions will be taught by Hermione Granger."

Enthusiastic applause followed, albeit somewhat confused.

"Professor Snape…Professor Snape is gone," the headmaster continued, forcing himself to continue, "He passed away."

The silence that followed this statement was profound. The older students, though they had never liked Snape, still were pale and withdrawn at this news.

"I hope you will remember him for what he really was, not for the act he had to keep up all those long years," Dumbledore softly said, "he was a war hero, the best spy we have ever seen. The harsh way in which he acted was mostly to maintain his cover. Despite how he acted in class, he cared deeply and worked tirelessly for your safety. Please, honor his memory for that."

He took a deep breath, and pulled back the cloth a little to reveal the small head.

"He did leave one thing: a small boy that I have now adopted. I would like to intruduce you to Severus Dumbledore-Snape. My grandson."

The stunned students didn't know what to say, although distinct 'Awwww' noises could be heard from some of the more openminded females.

"I now must divide my time between running the school and raising my grandson. Because of that," Dumbledore continued a bit brighter, "we have some more reinforcements on staff. We have hired a most excellent administrator/secretary. Please welcome Phoebe Falcon-Ashley. You will be seeing her around the school, no doubt. Should there be any problem with your schedules or the classes you wanted to take, you can ask her. Her office is next to professor McGonagall's."

Harry could see Phoebe shaking as she stood up. After a few moment's silence, applause started from the Hufflepuff table. Harry cast a glance at Rose Zeller, now a sixth year, who clapped, and elbowed the boy next to her to join in. Soon the whole Hall clapped politely, and Phoebe sat down after smiling briefly.

Albus smiled brightly at her before saying two words. "Tuck in."

The students needed no further encouragement as the most delicious food appeared on the tables.

Phoebe was talking animatedly with Hermione. They apparently shared an interest in house elf rights, and were planning to take matters up with the Ministry soon.

Severus stirred, and Albus chucked when the small feet tickled his ribs.

Harry pushed away his plate. He wasn't very hungry.

"Give him to me for a while, Albus, before you spill hot food on him."

Dumbledore handed him the baby.

"Hey there, Junior," Harry said, holding the child on both hands in front of him, his fingers behind the head, to take a good look.

"Can you smile for me? Or are you in a fighting mood today?"

Severus's lips parted in a hesitant smile.

"Don't think you can monopolize him for the entire evening," Phoebe said with mock indignation, "Albus promised I get to feed him later."

They both noticed the less than eager expressions from the rest of the staff, but ignored them. Harry sighed. Even Hermione was a little cold towards the child. He couldn't blame them, he thought, he had done the same.

Minerva seemed to be hesitant, he observed. She sometimes looked at the child as if she wanted to touch him or talk to him, but withdrew immediately.

Dumbledore smiled when he saw Harry and Phoebe sitting with their heads close together, talking to the infant in Harry's arms, trying to get another smile.

"They do make a cute…"

"Don't meddle, old man," he heard the voice of the Potions Master in his head, "you know you can be an interfering old coot sometimes."

He blinked. "Oh fine, I'll leave well alone. I'll just watch from a distance. Are you happy with that, my son?"

Of course, no answer came. Deciding it had been his memory playing tricks on him, Dumbledore returned to the most excellent steak on his plate.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This is going to be one looong story. The pace'll be quite sedate. Deliberate cuteness will occur. Bear with me on this one, if you will.**

The first day of classes started. Dumbledore came down with his staff to eat breakfast, again carrying an already bathed and fed baby. He had decided that it would be best if he brought Severus along as often as possible so that his staff and students would get used to him.

He smiled at Harry. "Nervous?"

Harry nodded, playing with his toast. "Terrified. The DA was one thing, but this is different."

Dumbledore chuckled. "I know, my boy. When I started teaching…the first day…I was sure I would die there and then."

Smirking, Harry took a sip of pumpkin juice, not looking at all surprised when he returned to his plate to find the completely demolished toast gone, and some fruit in its place. Taking a bite, his gaze swept over the students.

"I have sixth years first," he commented around the bite of pear, "they remember me from my own days as a student. I'm a bit worried. And…and I've been…been meaning to ask you something…"

"What, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, turning his considerable attentions completely to the young professor.

"I…I know it's weird, and it's unprecedented, but I really feel like it's the right thing to do. I mean, there's a lot to make up for…"

"Harry, Harry, stop," the old man ordered, "You're not making sense. What exactly is it that you want?"

Harry squirmed, then met the headmaster's gaze head on. "There is still no Head of Slytherin House. I'd like to apply."

It had been a long time since anyone had been able to so profoundly shock Albus into silence. Aberforth had managed on several occasions, of course, but even his antics had grown old after a few decades.

"I'll be up to talk to you about it after classes," Harry said, pushing his plate back and standing, "think about it, please?"

Dumbledore could only mutely nod.

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"WaaaahhhhWaaaahhhhWaaaaahhhhhh"

"Oh, hush, child," Poppy Pomfrey frowned at the naked infant, "it's only a wand."

She waved it over the crying baby, who chose that precise moment to relieve himself of some excess liquid.

"YUCK!"

"Waaaaaahhhhh!"

Dumbledore, who had been growing steadily more annoyed throughout the examination, chuckled.

"I believe, Poppy, that Severus is feeling cold and unhappy with your examination. So if you are finished…?"

"Yes, yes," the witch glared, as she magically dried her uniform, "he is perfectly healthy and growing at a normal pace. Get him out in the fresh air a bit more often while the weather is still good."

Picking the infant up from the table, Dumbledore moved him to a bed and started to dress him. Severus quieted upon seeing his grandfather, and a clumsy little arm tried to grab the beard.

"Uh huh, sweetheart, not Grandpa's beard."

He carefully disentangled the small fingers and pressed a kiss on the mini-hand. Severus gifted him with another of his smiles, traces of tears still running down his face.

Having dressed him, Dumbledore picked him up to cuddle him.

"There, little one. That's better now, isn't it? How about we go get you a nice bottle, hmmm?"

The baby nestled close to him, objecting to being put back in his pram, so Dumbledore simply carried him, and charmed the pram to follow them back up to the tower.

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Harry sighed deeply as he heard the sound for the first class go off. Within five minutes, the first group of students would arrive: sixth years Slytherin-Hufflepuff.

"Oh why did I ever think I could teach," Harry groaned, as all his carefully prepared lessons plans seemed to leak out of his brain at an alarming rate.

"Suck it up, Potter."

He looked around in bewilderment.

"Honestly, they're a bunch of little dunderheads. After defeating Voldemort, surely you can handle a few teens?"

"S-Snape?" Harry asked.

No answer came.

Harry studied the class, cast a number of revealing spells, but those yielded nothing.

"Oh well, must've been my imagination. Anyway, it was what Snape would've said, and he's right. I can do this."

He straightened his robes, and watched as the students filed in, a bit uncertain. They had all been used to years and years of Binns. All of them, even the Slytherins, couldn't help but be impressed with the changes to the classroom.

"Oh look, it's Morgana and Merlin," they pointed each other to the timeline, "And there are the Founders! Greetings, Lord Slytherin, Lady Hufflepuff."

"Greetings, dear students," Lady Hufflepuff smiled happily, "Well met."

"Ah, young snakes," Salazar nearly hissed, "Welcome. Pay close attention; you never know when you might learn something useful."

"Thanks a lot, Sal," Harry smirked, "coming from you, that's exhuberant praise. Alright, everyone sit down, please."

His tone was pleasant, but brooked no argument. The students hurriedly took their seats. Instead of rows, the tables were arranged in a U shape, with Harry standing up front.

"Right. Well, I remember most of you, and you might remember me."

A few snorts from the Slytherins confirmed that this was indeed the case.

"Alright, show of hands: how many of you managed to stay awake for more than ten of Binns's classes? No one? Hmmm. Five classes? Excellent, Mr Harcourt. One of these days you'll have to tell me how you managed that. Of all the people I know, only professor Granger actually managed to not only stay awake, but take copious notes as well."

Snickering was heard, and the Slytherin boy managed a smile.

"As you can see, I don't intend on following professor Binns's lesson plans. If he had any. You have also noticed that there was no book on your list for this class. This was done deliberately. That does not mean, however, you will get out of reading. It just means I prefer not to follow the opinions of one single author. You will study facts and dates…when was dragon breeding outlawed, Mr Harcourt?"

"1709, sir," came the prompt answer.

"Correct, five points to Slytherin. While a date like this in itself might seem useless to know, there are things connected to it. Events. Processes. Timelines and dates are the skeleton of history. To have them firmly in your head is important, because it will help you place the events we will be talking about. Those of you who are muggleborn will know the saying that history tends to repeat itself. You will see that this is true. Knowing what happened in the past will help you understand the processes that are taking place today. Ignorance leads to fear. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to destruction."

He leaned forward, eyeing the Slytherins especially. "Knowledge leads to understanding. Understanding leads to power. With power, you can build."

They were sizing him up, he knew. So far he had made a reasonable impression, despite being Harry Potter. He had given one of their number points. He hadn't made scathing remarks. He had taken the time to explain how this course would serve them – without condemning them for being ambitious.

The Hufflepuffs had expected a confrontation between their new professor and the Slytherins. In fact, they had expected a second Snape – in spy mode – this time favoring Gryffindor. The entire class quickly realized that the young professor in front of them was different from the Gryffindor boy that had attended school here.

"There will be a number of visitors to this class throughout the year," Harry continued, "goblins, centaurs, house elves, depending on the topic we're studying. If the weather allows, we will set up battle re-enactments outside, probably combined with the other sixth year and the seventh year classes. So pay close attention to what professor Moody teaches you on duelling; you will be seeing those things again in this class. He will likely join our battles, as will the headmaster – they did witness most of those battles themselves, after all."

More laughter.

A hand tentatively rose. "Sir?"

"Yes?" Harry smiled.

"Sir…I thought…that with you teaching this class…we would discuss the last war mostly."

Harry shook his head. "There is more to our history than this one war, miss Zeller. Besides, you are old enough to remember most of it. And I am not sure if I'm even the right person to teach about that."

"Why not?" Harcourt had grown a bit bolder and looked Harry straight in the eye.

"History is most often written by the victors," Harry explained, "and they don't always get their facts straight, aside from obviously being biased. There have been foreign observers who studied the rise and fall of Voldemort. I will be inviting one of them to teach this particular topic. But, as we will be starting from the time the Romans came here, it'll be some time before we reach that point."

Harry closed his eyes briefly to think.

"Well, I think I will give you your assignment now, and let you go so you can get a head start on it. For next class, create your own timeline. Don't sneak in here and copy mine, I'll know! You may do this in pairs, if you wish."

The students packed their bags, and started to leave.

"Miss Zeller, a word, please," Harry called to the Hufflepuff.

Rose Zeller shot a nervous glance at her friends, who indicated they would wait for her, and approached Harry's desk.

"Relax, you're not in trouble," Harry smiled, "I merely wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?" the girl stammered, confused.

"For the other night. Miss Falcon-Ashley is a good friend of mine, and I was pleased when you made her feel welcome."

Miss Zeller blushed. "I…she seemed nervous…I just figured…if it was me up there…I'd feel better if people treated me with respect."

"And you were right, Miss Zeller," Harry nodded, "thank you. Five points to Hufflepuff, for being very considerate."

The girl left, still bright red, to join her friends, and the young History teacher decided to go for a quick cup of coffee before his second class.

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Severus was laying in his playpen when Harry entered the office, his now dark eyes following a tiny broom and a snitch that Dumbledore had charmed to fly over his head.

Harry watched him for a while in fascination. Occasionally, an arm would make an awkward movement. Severus clearly wanted to reach out and catch the snitch or the broom, but was not yet capable of controlling the limb.

Albus smiled, and stroked a soft baby cheek before turning his attention to Harry.

"Head of Slytherin. Explain."

"They need a new Head of House, and we owe them, Albus," Harry leaned over to show the snitch to the child. The tiny hand closed around it.

"Yes, that's it, Junior. Remember how that feels, so you know how to catch it from a broom later," Harry encouraged.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! Let the child play and tell me what you mean."

The history professor sat up straight, sighing in fatique. "I mean, Albus, that we have to own up to our share of the blame that so many Slytherins were drawn to Tom. Would they have been as tempted as they were if they felt they were valued here, with us? Power is one thing, but you have power. Most of the staff, the regular staff, are powerful witches and wizards. We accuse Slytherin of being prejudiced, but perhaps we are a lot more prejudiced than they are. We helped destroy Slytherin House, Albus. It's our job to rebuild it."

"Do you think they will accept you?" Albus softly asked.

"Perhaps not at first, although things seemed to be going well with them in class today. I'm not promising miracles, and if you find someone better, please, go ahead and appoint them, but I'm not afraid to accept my responsibility in this matter."

Seeing the determined face, and watching the small child in the pen, the headmaster conceded.

"Very well then. Tomorrow at breakfast I will make the announcement. Harry Potter, Head of Slytherin…"

"If I were actually dead, I'd be spinning in my grave," they both heard the voice of the potions master.

The baby gurgled, while Albus and Harry looked confused.

Each of them attributed it to tiredness and an overactive imagination, and quickly changed the topic, fearful the other wold find out.


	8. Chapter 8

Hermione sighed and stretched as her last class of the day filed out of the lab. A bit morosely she looked at all the dirty cauldrons.

"I'm beginning to understand why Snape assigned so many detentions," she mused as she waved her wand to gather the cauldrons and set the brushes in the sink to start cleaning.

"Professor Granger?"

Phoebe looked around the corner of the room.

"Oh, hello," Hermione smiled, "do come in. And it's Hermione. It's bad enough I have to hear the students call me 'professor' all day."

"Hermione it is, then. From 'The Winter's Tale', right?"

Hermione's delighted face made her chuckle.

"My parents are both Muggleborn. My grandparents are avid readers, and introduced me to Shakespeare. They said that 'being magical is no excuse for being uncultured'," Phoebe imitated her grandfather's old, formal voice.

Hermione giggled. "Sounds like my dad, alright. He insisted on a Shakespearean name for me. It could have been worse; I could have been a boy. He wanted to name a boy 'Cymbeline', can you imagine?"

Phoebe snorted. "Poor child. Your mother would have objected, I bet. But what I came here for, I finally managed to revise all teacher's contracts. I need you to sign both of these, and then you get to keep one. This nullifies your old contract."

"Old? I signed it a couple of weeks ago."

"Oh well. The previous one. It definitely needed revising. If you want to read it before you sign, that's fine with me, just send it to me or drop it off at my office. Tea's ready most of the time."

"I'd love to, thanks. Phoebe…"

"Yes?" the young witch turned around from the sink where she had been watching the cauldrons in fascination, "my, the students do know how to make a mess of these, don't they?"

"It was the first time they made this potion, and it's quite tricky," Hermione dismissed, "they'll do better next time. Phoebe, I understand if it's a touchy subject for you, but I was wondering…"

"How I got this scar?" Phoebe finished her sentence a bit tense, "yes, I heard students gossip about it in the corridors already. It's quite simple, really. Death Eaters attacked my grandparents just before the final battle. We had wards on their houses to warn us of trouble. My parents and I apparated in to defend them. My parents died. I vaguely remember being extremely angry and shooting spells. I woke up later in St. Mungo's, with my face mostly bandaged."

Hermione had tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Phoebe."

The witch crushed some dried nettles between her fingers. "It was all for nothing, you know. They killed my grandparents anyway. The Aurors later told me that I did manage to take out at least three Death Eaters before they left me for dead, killed my grandparents and Disapparated."

Hermione simply threw her arms around the other woman and they both cried a bit for the people they lost in the war.

"I was just able to sit up and think about walking when the final battle took place," Phoebe said a while later, over a cup of tea in Hermione's office, "and a week or so after that I wandered around and found Harry. We got along from the start. Besides, therapy and all is pretty frustrating sometimes. It helps to have a friend near."

Hermione scowled a bit. "He never let us near."

Phoebe hesitated. "Hermione…allow me to be frank. However much you and the Weasley family – Harry told me much about them – assured him he was part of them, part of the family, he still woke up alone. He tried to understand; really, he did. But after Voldemort, after waking up paralysed, it was more than he could take to realize that in the end, he was not part of a family, not really. That blood always comes first. And I think if it had been just that, he would have been able to live with it. If only one of you had been able to spare a few minutes each day to visit him. If anyone had taken steps to keep his obnoxious relatives away. As it was, he had to protect himself, and he closed himself off from you. Not by choice, but because his survivor instincts kicked in."

"We were something…he had to survive?" Hermione gasped in horror.

"Your absence was something he had to survive," Phoebe corrected, "the feeling of not belonging anywhere was something he had to survive. He cares deeply for all of you, but he needed, and still needs, time to heal. And some wounds run too deep for the healing, and leave scars. Not only like the ones on my and Harry's face, but deep inside as well."

"I love him," Hermione whispered, "He has been like the brother I never had for so many years…those first days…all those wounded…I should have been there for him."

"Yes," Phoebe said softly, "you should have. It's not an unforgivable mistake, Hermione, especially not if you regret it. He just needs time."

"He needs you," Hermione chuckled through her tears.

Phoebe blushed deeply. "We're just friends!" she protested.

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"_Harry dear,_

_Hermione tells us you are at Hogwarts, teaching History. We all would love to see you again, sweetheart. Do you feel up to coming to the Burrow soon?_

_Love,_

_Molly."_

Harry threw down the letter on the table. Severus, laying in his romper suit on the table, having just been changed, looked at him curiously.

"Sorry Junior," Harry muttered, tickling the child's feet, "It's such a nice letter. Why do I feel upset about it, then?"

The baby gurgled a bit in response and grabbed Harry's finger. Harry paid no attention, thinking about his letter, until he felt baby gums chewing away, and babydrool covering his finger.

"Hey! No biting, Junior!"

The baby ignored his protests, and smiled widely when Harry wiped his hand on his trousers.

Hedwig stared at the infant benignly, like a mother watching over a treasured young one. She hooted softly and clearly smirked when Severus looked around in confusion until he spotted her. Then he drooled in an excited sort of way, trying to reach for her.

"Show-off," Harry muttered as another owl came flying in.

_Harry,_

_Molly wrote to you to invite you to the Burrow. However, I feel that after you have been so neglected in the hospital, it is unfair to ask you to come to us. Besides, we would love to see your new quarters and classroom._

_Is it alright if we come over for dinner next week?_

_Arthur._

"I underestimated Arthur," Harry read the letter again, "That IS what was bothering me in Molly's letter."

He sighed as he took out a bottle and watched it fill with formula. He tapped it just to be sure, but the temperature was always perfect. Taking Severus in the crook of his arm, he sat down to feed him his bottle. While the child drank contently, Harry contemplated his answer.

The only one he had been in correspondence with during his hospitalization was Remus Lupin. The man had faithfully written every week, and Harry had replied somewhat regularly. He wished he could visit with him now, but Remus and Tonks were abroad. Several European governments, shocked by the readiness the werewolves in England had shown in following the Dark Lord, had asked Lupin to help them as an ambassador to their own werewolf population, hoping to prevent a disaster like the British had faced.

Remus still wrote every week, however, whenever it was possible.

Dumbledore entered, waving a lurid pink handkerchief to wipe his face.

"Hot today, isn't it? I wish I could follow the children's example and go bathe in the lake."

Harry grinned widely, getting a sudden mental image of the headmaster in bathing suit.

"Careful there, young man," Dumbledore warned, his eyes twinkling, "I don't need Legilimency to know what you are thinking now. Has my boy been behaving himself?"

The headmaster bent over the baby, who was still drinking. The little one paused for a moment to smile at his grandfather before resuming his attack on the contents of the bottle.

"He's been perfect. Asleep most of the time, in fact."

"Good, good. Thank you for babysitting. Are you still going through with your battle re-enactment today?"

"Yes, but I've moved it to the evening, when the temperature goes down a little. I've given them the afternoon off to rest or swim."

"Excellent. I will extend curfew tonight. Are the children excited?"

Harry laughed. "Excited isn't the word. They are besides themselves. You wouldn't believe the amount of research they've done to get their costumes and their characters just right. The younger students aren't going to join, but they have been preparing the battle field and Flitwick is assisting them with charming the dolls we made to make up the extra's in the armies."

The headmaster beamed happily. "Wonderful, my boy. I'm quite eager to see how they will do tonight."

Harry handed him the baby. "Here, you burp Junior."

Dumbledore chuckled as he laid the baby against his shoulder and patted his bottom. Severus burped softly, and then lazily closed his eyes.

"I think I'll put a cooling charm on the pram and take him outside," the headmaster said, "Poppy says he needs fresh air. Winky will look after him tonight; I can't take him to the battle, he'd be frightened."

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Filius Flitwick was enjoying his afternoon. The young history teacher's ideas were delightful, he decided. He had never seen the first years pay such close attention to what he was teaching.

The youngest students had been allowed, under his guidance, to prepare the part of the grounds they would use for the re-enactment. They had mastered the Levitation charm quickly when he promised them they could help him move the scenery into place. The second and third year students were charming the propped up dolls to move about a bit and shout threatening phrases at the 'enemy'.

"Alright, children," the tiny professor squeeked when they were done, "thank you so much for your help. Now, go enjoy yourselves, and cool off some before the battle tonight."

The children cheered, and ran about, sitting in the shadows, splashing in the lake and talking with eager anticipation about the battle they would see later.

Dumbledore, sitting in the shadow of a tree with Severus laying on a blanket besides him – slight cooling charm in place – watched them run to and fro with an indulgent smile.

"H-headmaster?" a tiny voice came.

"Ah, miss Grendel. How are you doing, dear?"

The small Slytherin inched closer. "Fine, sir. Thank you for letting me come early, it's fun here. I'm learning loads!"

"That is good to hear," Dumbledore nodded, "Looking forward to the battle tonight?"

"Yes sir. I…I was wondering, sir…" the girl blushed a little, "Can I…can I see the baby? I'll be careful, I promise! There were babies in the orphanage too, I'm used to them."

Dumbledore looked mildly surprised, but beckoned for her to approach.

"This is Severus, or, as professor Potter prefers to call him, Junior."

Severus/Junior looked up at the tiny witch and his bottom lip trembled slightly. Dumbledore picked him up and cuddled him.

"Now, no need to be frightened, little one. This is Fiona, and she wanted to say hi."

Fiona's face lit up when the baby looked at her again, and gave her a tiny, watery smile.

"Oooh, he is CUTE," she cooed. She very carefully reached out and stroked a pudgy little hand. Severus immediately grabbed her finger and tried to move it to his mouth, never taking his eyes off of her.

"There are really funny colors around him," Fiona said, "they look the same as that of the man in the castle."

"What man, dear?" Dumbledore asked.

"I don't know his name," Fiona looked a bit shy, "but he talks to me sometimes. It's not like I can SEE him…just hear. I can see the colors when he talks to me. Is…is something wrong with that, sir?"

Dumbledore gently motioned for her to sit against the tree, and then he carefully laid Severus in her arms. She looked utterly enthralled. Severus had wrapped her completely around his shrimp-sized fingers.

"Do you see colors around me too?" the headmaster asked.

Fiona nodded, completely focussed on the baby in her arms.

"All people have them, some animals too. Professor McGonagall has the same colors as a cat I see walking around the school sometimes."

Dumbledore had to bite back a laugh.

"You see magical cores, child. It's a rare gift. Every witch and wizard has a magical core. The colors you see are like solar flares, they erupt from the core and twirl about us. Basically what you are seeing is a magical signature."

"Oh," the girl wasn't very impressed. "And the man?"

"I'll have to look into that. My guess would be a ghost, but they don't have cores anymore…"

"I don't think he's alive, though," Fiona shrugged, "his colors are really faded, like he isn't really here anymore."

Very carefully, she gave Severus back to the headmaster.

"I like him, he's sweet," she said, smiling at the infant. "Bye, Severus! Goodafternoon, professor Dumbledore," she ran off to rejoin her friends.

Severus chewed on a strand of beard and looked up at his thoughtful grandfather.

"You do know your beard is getting wet, don't you, Albus?" the amused voice of the Transfigurations teacher interrupted his thoughts.

"What? Oh ACK. Severus, sweetheart, not Grandpa's beard again!"

Dumbledore retrieved his face hair from the fists, and spelled his hair dry. Disappointed, Severus pouted.

"Hello, Minerva. You just missed miss Grendel."

"I saw her sitting here," the corners of the witch's mouth twitched, "I was waiting to come here too…if you…if you still want to introduce me to your grandson."

Dumbledore's face brightened so much she could have been looking into the sun. He patted the blanket invitingly.

The witch sat down a bit stiffly, not entirely comfortable. Albus simply put the baby in her arms.

"This is Severus. Harry calls him Junior, and that's how I think of him. The son of my son."

Minerva instinctively cradled the child.

"Hello, little one," she whispered. When Severus gave her one of his smiles, she suddenly cuddled him close and kissed the small face, tears in her eyes. Albus rubbed her shoulder in understanding.

Severus didn't seem to mind; the weird lady had funny hair that he could just reach…

The headmaster paled when Severus managed to pull the neat bun from his Deputy's hair, but Minerva just laughed.

She rained kisses on his face while he gurgled happily.

"I'm sorry for how I treated you before, darling," she whispered in the small ear, "I'll be a real grandma to you from now on, I promise."

Severus yawned, and settled to sleep against her. She rocked him slightly, blushing a bit when she looked at the ancient wizard next to her.

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"Alright!" Harry cast a Sonorus on himself. "ALRIGHT."

The children quieted, the excited buzz dying down.

"GREAT TO SEE YOU ALL HERE," Harry began, "AT THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS. KING HAROLD'S ARMY, MOVE TO THE LEFT OF THE FIELD, PLEASE!"

A large group of sixth and seventh years moved.

"THANK YOU. WILLIAM, MOVE YOUR TROUPS TO THE RIGHT. REMEMBER, ARCHERS AND WIZARDS IN FRONT, INFANTERY AND MEDI WIZARDS AT THE BACK."

The troops obeyed. The younger students, in the stands, cheered when the part student/part charmed doll army moved.

"BEFORE WE BEGIN THE BATTLE, HAROLD AND WILLIAM WILL INTRODUCE THEMSELVES."

Two seventh years came forward.

"My name is Harold!" he proclaimed, "The rightful King of England. My relative over there," he pointed at William, "should have stayed in France where he belongs. My magic is stronger, my army is better."

The second seventh year walked up. "I am William! Guillaume, Duke of Normandy! I claim the right to the throne, and I will have it."

They returned to their ranks and the battle began.

Albus and Minerva sat on a bench together, watching the show. Hermione and Mad Eye were helping Harry.

"This is amazing," McGonagall said in awe, "they're even using different kinds of magic! Look! Harold's side is using the spells used in Danelaw over a millenium ago. You can see the magic is a bit more crude than William's. If you look closely at the French magic, you can see that it is definitely an early form of what is taught at Beauxbatons nowadays. I can't believe how much effort the children have put into this."

Albus nodded. "Absolutely! Harry is doing a terrific job."

"The children have been asking me a lot of questions lately, wanting to know the origins of every spell. Their essays have become most interesting."

"It'll die down after a while," Albus mused, "but after so many years of Binns, I bet they are very excited to have a proper history teacher."

Minerva's lips thinned in disapproval. "If you had followed our advice and appointed a new teacher long ago…"

The old wizard nodded. "I kept Binns on for far too long," he admitted.

Cheering went up in the field.

"THE BATTLE IS OVER! HAROLD IS DEAD!" Harry's voice announced, "VERY WELL DONE, EVERYONE. AND A THANK-YOU TO OUR AUDIENCE!"

"Come," Albus said to Phoebe, who sat behind them, "did you hear?"

She nodded. "He's very tired. We better go get him. His ego would never recover if he collapsed in front of all those students."

"Nor can it manage to excuse himself and go to his rooms."

They reached a History professor who was pale with exhaustion, but grinning widely and complimenting students while receiving pats on the back from colleagues and older students.

"Well done, Harry," Phoebe kissed his cheek, receiving cat-calls from the surrounding students, "come with us," she whispered in his ear, "the headmaster and I will pretend we need to talk to you."

Harry nodded gratefully.

"Well done, my boy," Albus's voice boomed, "well done to all of you! Icecream and soft drinks await you all in the Great Hall. Go on, get cleaned up and enjoy a midnight feast."

The students happily filed out, talking excitedly about battle tactics, magic, and invasions of Britain.

**A/N: Next chapter features Harry's introduction to the Slytherins. And Albus gets closer to unraveling the mystery of the Voice. How did you like Fiona? I think she's cute. hugs Fiona **


	9. Chapter 9

Albus had made sure Harry got to bed safely, assisted by Phoebe. After quickly checking up on Severus – who was sleeping peacefully – he went to the Great Hall to check on the students. And to snatch some of the icecream.

There was an excited buzz around the hall. The sides who had previously been battling, now sat drinking and joking together, still in their outfits. William and Harold – the latter with an arrow sticking in his chest since he hadn't bothered to remove it – were enjoying the attention, and using bottles of Dr Pepper to toast each other.

Taking a sip of his own can, Dumbledore smirked. Harry and Hermione had introduced soft drinks to Hogwarts in their sixth year, aided by several other Muggleborn or halfblood students. He had to admit it was a nice change from pumpkin juice.

The houses had mixed, and some Slytherins had actually joined other House tables, apparently glad to be able to openly spend time with their friends, knowing that their new Head of House heartily approved.

The new Head of Slytherin. Albus snorted softly.

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Said new Head of Slytherin was laying in his bed, being fussed over by Phoebe and Winky.

"I'm fine, I really am," Harry protested, "I'm a bit tired, but I wore my braces and I even took a Pepper-up this afternoon. I'm fine!"

Phoebe ignored him, and continued tucking in the edges of his blanket around him.

"Master Harry sir is being too tired," Winky said sternly, "Master Harry needs rest." The little elf waved her hand and sent a sleeping charm over the exhausted professor.

"Winkeeeeeeeeeeeee…." Harry just managed to whine before sleep overtook him.

Phoebe giggled. "Well done, Winky," she said, "come, we'll have some icecream here together so we can watch over him for a while.

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Dumbledore enjoyed the happy voices of his students a while longer. He smiled at little Fiona, who grinned widely.

"Did the battle go as planned, my dear young lady?" Dumbledore bowed slightly to the girl, who had, like most of the non-participating youngsters, been dressed in medieval garments that made her look like a real noble girl.

"It was great, Professor. I don't think I'll ever forget it."

"So for the rest of your life you'll remember that this battle took place in the year…"

"1066, sir. Although the Wizarding World wasn't captured until 1068."

"Well done, child," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled merrily at her, "Professor Potter will be pleased. Have you and your friends had your Head of House appointment with him yet?"

Fiona shook her head. "We could sign up for a time that suited us, and mine isn't until next week. It was really weird though," she frowned.

"What was, dear?"

"Well, the older students, especially fourth years and up…they were really angry at first. When you made the announcement and he came to the Common Room after that…"

_Fiona sat, chatting happily with her new friends, at the breakfast table. When the entire Hall began to hush, she looked up at the Staff Table; it wasn't uncommon for school-wide announcements to be made during meals._

_Professor Dumbledore had indeed stood up, and his eyes were twinkling, but something was…off…in them, Fiona thought. They twinkled in a more careful way, if that made any sense._

"_With the loss of our Potions Master, Slytherin House finds itself without a Head for the first time in decades," Dumbledore started, "and this has worried me for some time. For obvious reasons a replacement has been hard to find…"_

_Fiona could feel the sadness and anger from her housemates, and she got a bit mad at the Headmaster. It was bad enough there were so few of them. Most of them had lost their family in the war, but it seemed like no one really cared about that. Whereas the other houses, especially the Gryffindors were being councelled by their Head of House and if needed, specialists from St. Mungo's. _

_She looked at her older housemates. There weren't many of them, but they all looked very pale and sad, and she knew most of them had horrible nightmares._

"_There has only been one applicant for the position," Dumbledore continued, "I had some reserves at first, but he insists. The new Head of Slytherin House is Professor Harry Potter."_

_At this, both the Slytherin table and the Gryffindor table erupted in chaotic screams of protest._

"_SILENCE!" Dumbledore called, "the decision has been made. We are lucky someone volunteered. All Slytherins are exempt from the first class of this day, and are to meet their new Head of House in the Common Room. That is all."_

_Fiona, close to the Head Table, could see Professor Potter scowl at the Headmaster._

"_Way to go, Albus," he hissed, "that'll generate goodwill, I'm sure. When will you learn that Slytherin are entitled to the same consideration as the rest of the school? Don't you ever learn from your mistakes?"_

_A bit surprised, Fiona made her way to the Common Room, accompanied by the rest of the House. It seemed no one was very interested in breakfast anymore._

"_Potter as Head of House," a few people muttered, "can't we DO anything about it? Shouldn't a Head of House have been a member of that House?"_

_A second-year shook her head. "No, they don't. It is preferable, but there have been cases before, when there was no suitable Head for one of the Houses, that someone from another House, or even someone who hadn't gone to Hogwarts at all, became Head."_

"_I'd have preferred someone from outside Hogwarts, at least we would've stood a chance at some fair treatment," a fourth year sighed, "we're doomed."_

"_Professor Potter seems nice," Fiona suddenly heard herself say, "he's fair in class. He gave me points this week for doing well on my homework."_

_A prefect shook his head at her. "You're only a little girl," she said, "you can't know…but Gryffindor has always been favored as long as Potter was in school here. Potter is a Gryffindor. Salazar knows why he decided to become our Head of House…most likely to spite and torment us."_

"_I understand you would believe that," a soft voice suddenly came from the door of the Common Room, "but that is not the reason. Please everyone…sit down, and I'll explain."_

_The students turned around in shock to see Harry Potter leaning against the wall._

_Fiona stared at him. The students had known that Harry Potter had disappeared for a year after the final battle, apparently to heal. They had all seen that he tired easily, that Miss Falcon-Ashley always made sure he had no classes in the second half of the afternoon, and some had whispered about him collapsing sometimes when strained. Fiona thought he looked very tired already, and it was only morning._

_The History teacher lowered himself in a chair. "I apologise for my lack of manners, but I had a bad night. Please, sit."_

_Fiona hesitated, then pulled one of her friends, next to her, with her, and they sat down on the couch across from Professor Potter. Others followed suit, a bit more hesitant, until finally the whole group was seated. _

"_It must have come as a shock to you." _

_Most younger students nodded, the older ones just shot glares._

"_Please, let me tell you why I asked the Headmaster for this position. It'll be quite a long story. If, after that, most of you still don't want me as Head of House, or at least Acting Head of House until a replacement has been found, I will step down."_

_There were only two seventh years left. The others in the room looked at them and they nodded._

"_We will listen," Graham Pritchard said._

"_Thank you, Mr. Pritchard," Potter said, before smiling a bit. "I remember your Sorting. The year of the Triwizard Tournament…"_

_Graham nodded curtly._

"_That tournament caused some major paradigm shifts," the Professor mused, "but I'm starting in the middle. You all know about Halloween 1981, when Voldemort killed my parents." _

_He didn't even wait for confirming nods; everyone knew that._

"_For the next ten years, I was raised by my mother's sister and her husband. I use the term 'raised' loosely. They treated me like the Malfoys treated their house-elves."_

_Several of the older students shuddered._

"_My cousin Dudley spent his childhood bullying me and the other children in the neighborhood. Completely spoiled by his parents. Whatever he wanted, he got. I remember his eleventh birthday, a month before mine. He received 37 presents, and wailed because he got one less than the year before. His parents promptly bought him another two."_

"_That sounds familiar," a sixth year whispered, "coughDracocough…"_

_Fiona noticed her teacher could barely contain a grin. "On my eleventh birthday, Hagrid came to take me to Diagon Alley. That's when I learned I was a wizard. Hagrid was absolutely great! He bought me my first present ever, my owl Hedwig. Then I went to get robes, and met Draco Malfoy. He told me…well, he told me a lot of things. In one fell swoop, he insulted my parentage – unknown to him, I must admit – the first person to be nice to me, and acted exactly as my cousin. That was my first impression of a Slytherin."_

_A few faces started to loose their grim look. Apparently Malfoy hadn't been as popular in his own house as he'd thought._

"_Then I talked to Hagrid about what Malfoy said. Now, you must understand that Hagrid was in school with Tom Riddle, who later became Lord Voldemort…"_

_Ignoring the collective gasps, Potter continued, "Tom caused Hagrid to be expelled unfairly, as you all know by now. His view of Slytherins in general was tainted because of it. But as an eleven year old, I believed him when he said all Dark wizards come from Slytherin. Malfoy caused me a lot of trouble in school; even if I did gave as good as I got. In third year, I learned that NOT all Dark wizards are from Slytherin. Peter Pettigrew betrayed my parents. A Gryffindor. And Severus Snape had this annoying habit of constantly saving my life…"_

_The older students suddenly snorted with laughter. They had seen the interaction between Harry Potter and the Potions Master._

_Fiona looked up. "Didn't you like Professor Snape? But I saw you with his son, you like him."_

_Her teacher nodded. "It took some getting used to, but Junior's a cute baby. But, let me continue."_

"_The Triwizard Tournament. So many prejudices fell back then. First of all, Hufflepuff was painted to me as a House for leftovers, half squibs unsuited for a better House. But Cedric Diggory…"_

_Fiona had never heard of a Cedric Diggory. She looked up to Graham, who nodded sadly._

"_Cedric Diggory was the Hogwarts Champion. A Hufflepuff. And he would have won, too. In fact, he did win. Not to mention that I'd been told the same about Durmstrang as I was told about Slytherin, but Viktor Krum is a decent guy. I believe Professor Granger still writes to him, girls, if you need a contact for an authograph. Anyway, that year really got me thinking. If my prejudices about Hufflepuff were wrong, and Durmstrang…then why not Slytherin?"_

_He leaned back in his chair, letting the memories wash over him._

"_I got to know the Order later. It contains people from all Houses. Most importantly, I got to know Blaise. Yes, of all people who died in the final battle, I think I miss Blaise the most. Anyway, I came to realize that while many people blame Slytherin for this last war, I think we are most to blame. I've always been told Slytherins are biased purebloods, but then I considered that it was our prejudices against Slytherin that alienated you, and made some of you – not nearly all of you – receptive to Voldemort. I want to make up for that. I want to help the House regain its glory. When I was Sorted, the hat wanted to put me in Slytherin. It said 'Slytherin could help you on your way to greatness'. I didn't take its offer. Perhaps I should have, I don't know. But I do want to help you on your way back to greatness. Will you give me a chance?"_

_Graham, now the spokesman for the group, scowled slightly. "How are we supposed to trust you? It's great, what you just told us, but what if it's only words? I'm sorry, but I've spent six years here, and I don't have much hope for change."_

_Fiona's eyes widened, as did the eyes of most younger students. To speak to a teacher like that! But the history teacher didn't get angry._

"_I understand that, Mr Pritchard. I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm only asking for a chance. You'll have noticed I've done my best to be fair in class."_

"_That's true, Graham," Richard Harcourt suddenly said, "The first points he ever gave in class were to Slytherin."_

_Graham scowled at him._

"_Now, now, Mr Harcourt, such comments should not be made in front of the person you are discussing," Professor Potter chided teasingly, "never give the opposition the idea they are winning.."_

"_The way you handled the last years of the war were certainly Slytherin…mixed with some Gryffindor," Graham mused, "and Blaise always spoke highly of you. Once Malfoy was gone."_

_Fiona shuddered. She knew Malfoy had been a bad person, but the tales of how he died made her sick._

_The professor looked at her. "Don't worry, miss Grendel. Some tales of the war aren't…aren't meant to be repeated. Especially not to the ears of a lady such as yourself. You will never hear that story in class, I promise you. I'll leave now for a few moments, and you can discuss this amongst yourselves"_

_When the professor had stepped outside, Fiona looked up at the still grim looking Graham. "Would it be so bad if Professor Potter was our Head of House?" she asked, "He's been a lot more fair than the other professors. Even more fair than the Headmaster. And he did tell the Headmaster off earlier for being mean to us."_

_She blushed deeply at the questioning looks she got._

"_Well…after the Headmaster's announcement…I was up close, I could hear it. He was angry and told the Headmaster that Slytherins deserve the same consideration as the rest of the school."_

"_And you are sure he didn't mean for anyone to overhear that? To gain our trust?" Graham wouldn't give in easily._

"_No, because people who want to be overheard often look at the person they want them to overhear. And Professor Potter was trying very hard not to be heard. I was just too close. People always overlook me because I'm small," she blushed._

"_Well, we do need a Head of House. It's not like we have a lot of choice. But Potter…"_

"_What about a trial period?" Fiona said practically, "of a year? We'll see easily enough if he's serious or not. If not, some of you are still well connected. You can use your family and friends to find a new Head. And if he is serious, well, then we just keep him."_

_Graham rolled his eyes at the last sentence, but the prefects and sixth years were already nodding._

"_Oh alright, I guess. It's not like we HAVE to talk to him if we don't want to."_

_The boy looked around the Common Room. "Let's face it; we've been decimated. We're going to need all the help we can get. Even if it is from Potter. Your conditions make sense, Fiona. You're decent Slytherin material it seems."_

"So you all decided to have Professor Potter on probation," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled a bit.

"I should have put the matter differently that morning, dear. I didn't mean to hurt you and your friends."

"Putting it differently wouldn't have changed how you thought about us," Fiona said, ever practical, "unless you didn't really mean what you said. Do you think Severus will be a Slytherin, like his Dad?"

She wasn't prepared to see the old man choke up. Worried, she reached for a napkin.

"Don't worry, dear. You see, Severus's father was very dear to me. I wasn't his real Dad, but I did think of him as my son. He was the Head of Slytherin, and a very good one too."

Fiona nodded solemnly. "The older students say so. The Slytherins, at least."

"He would have done anything for his students. He did do everything for his students," Dumbledore said, staring into the distance.

After a few seconds, he smiled and looked at the little girl. "I've thought about what you told me, my dear, about the voice and the colors you see. Would you mind to go exploring with me tomorrow? See if we can unravel this mystery?"

Fiona nodded, scooping another large helping of icecream into her bowl, and not seeming the least bit concerned.

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Late that night, Dumbledore watched over the infant.

Carefully taking the child in his arms, he kissed the sleeping face and paced the room, rocking him gently.

"What is happening, my child? Is it possible you are not really gone or…Merlin forbid…have I made a Horcrux out of you?

The baby pushed one little fist under its chin and stayed asleep, apparently very content in the strong arms carrying him. Dumbledore put him in his pram and pulled it next to his bed, unwilling to have his precious little one so far away from him when he was so frightened for his future.


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning, Dumbledore called Fiona up to his office straight after breakfast. The girl sat uncomfortably in one of the large chinz armchairs, looking around the office.

"Ah," one of the portraits said, a nasty-looking man in green and silver, "a student. In trouble already, girl?"

"Phineas!" a woman scolded from another canvas, "why do you always assume the worst? Hello, child. My name is…well, you can probably see my name. I'm Headmistress Derwynt. You must be a first year. My, it seems they are smaller every year…"

Fiona blushed. "I read about you in 'Hogwarts, A History'," she said, "You were a Healer too, weren't you?"

The woman nodded, pleased. "A perceptive child. What House are you in? My guess would be Ravenclaw."

"No, Ma'am," Fiona responded, "I'm in Slytherin, although the Hat said I wouldn't have been a bad Ravenclaw either."

"Too right, I said that," she heard, and her head shot up. The Hat sat on one of the shelves.

"A Slytherin, hmmm," Headmaster Nigellus said, narrowing his eyes, "you're a bit small and scrawny. But who knows what may become of you. It's your first year, there's hope yet."

"Phineas!" the other portrait chided again, "be a bit more optimistic! I'm sure the child is very talented, and will be a credit to your House."

"She will be," Dumbledore's voice came from the connecting door. He stood at the top of the stairs, carrying a small bundle, "it's not often a student is allowed to enter a year early. She did very well on the test we set her to see if she was advanced enough."

Fiona's blush deepened. The headmaster walked down the stairs, talking softly to the baby in his arms.

"It will be best if we take him with us, so you can compare the colors you see to his."

He gently put the infant in her arms while he pocketed his wand and took out the sling rider Dobby had purchased for him in a Muggle town.

"I have Herbology in half an hour, Sir," Fiona said.

"I know. I've already sent a message to Professor Sprout."

Severus gurgled happily at Fiona, fists waving about. Dumbledore chuckled, and picked him up again. After a short cuddle, he relocated the baby to the sling rider and sighed.

"Well, Miss Grendel, on with our adventure. Where to first?"

"The dungeons, I guess. That's where I hear the voice most often.

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Harry, meanwhile, was having yet another difficult class with the older year Gryffindors. The younger years gave him little trouble; the bitter rivalry between the Houses hadn't affected them much yet. These NEWT students, however, were a different matter. They had known Harry as a student, and had been taught to hate Slytherin. That Harry was now their Head of House was a huge insult to them. Many jabs were made during class. Harry tried to ignore it for a couple of weeks, hoping it would die down, but it hadn't. While the younger Gryffindors enjoyed the new chance to be on friendly terms with all other houses, these students were still bitter and angry.

"Alright," Harry shoved his lesson plan for the day aside, "I've had enough of this."

His green eyes blazed with a mixture of annoyance and determination, and for a moment the Gryffindors – and Ravenclaws in the class – backed down. Seeing the man sometimes struggling with his weakened condition, they had forgotten that he was Harry James Potter, the Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One and the Vanquisher of Voldemort. They had forgotten that he was, still, a very powerful wizard, physical condition notwithstanding.

"Come on, let's have it out in the open," he challenged them.

"You're one of us!" one of the Gryffindors said angrily, "you've gone traitor on us!"

His fellows nodded.

"I mean…Head of those snakes? After what they did in the war? After the lousy way Snape treated us all those years? Students lost their whole family in the war!"

Most of the Ravenclaws by now shook their heads in disbelief and groaned.

"Yes," Harry said, in a soft, silky voice, "yes, many students lost families. I do know how that feels. No house has lost more than Slytherin."

"But they DESERVED to die!"

"Their PARENTS," Harry sneered, "may have deserved to die. But no one deserves to be an orphan at such a young age. No matter on what side of the war their family died. The remaining Slytherins are innocent of any crimes in the war. And need I remind you that some of my best friends and allies were Slytherins? They are NOT all evil."

He looked at the stunned class. "Let me tell you what I told them, that morning the Headmaster announced it to the school. Slytherin house has been shunned and discriminated against for a long time. Therefor, its members were more easily attracted to Voldemort. Stop that stupid flinching," he nearly hissed, "he is dead and not coming back this time. It's only a name."

Leaning forward on his desk, his penetrating green gaze locked with that of his students.

"Were they wrong, for doing what they did? Yes. Was our treatment an excuse for them to murder? Definitely not. Should we own up to our mistakes and prejudices that contributed to this war? Abso-bloody-lutely."

Apart from the shock of hearing their professor swear in class, this speech stunned the group so much that only one Ravenclaw was actually capable of collecting her wits and replying.

"So…you own up to your mistakes by helping Slytherin? By becoming their Head of House, I mean, so you can try to fix the damage and make them a real part of the school again?"

Harry smiled tensely. "Exactly, Miss Peterson. Five points to Ravenclaw."

"And now," he said coldly, "I don't want to hear any jabs in the classroom. What you discuss in your Common Room I don't care about, but you will not interfere with class again."

"Oh dear, Potter, did some of my snarkiness jump over to you?"

Harry paled at the voice.

"Professor?" the students asked, unsure what was happening.

"Class dismissed," Harry said absentmindedly, intent on finding out who or what this voice was for once and for all.

"Out looking for trouble as always, aren't you, Potter?" the voice was that of his former Potions Master, but the venom that had been in it for so many years was absent. In fact, it sounded like teasing more than anything now.

The voice seemed to come from a distance ahead of him, so Harry drew his wand and decided to follow.

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Carrying Severus on his chest, and holding Fiona by her hand, Dumbledore slowly made his way towards the dungeons, where Fiona told him she most often talked to the Voice.

"He's really nice, and gives me good advice," the girl chattered.

Then she looked at him worried and a bit suspicious. "You aren't going to…hurt him, are you? Whatever he is?"

"Don't worry, dear. I have no intention of hurting whatever it is, unless the students are threatened. I do, however, wish to know what we are dealing with."

"I think he lives here," Fiona said, stopping suddenly, "because I most hear him here."

Dumbledore's eyes grew dark when he saw where they were. At the entrance to what used to be Severus Snape's personal chambers.

Before he had time to recover from the shock, Harry came hurrying around the corner, panting. Fiona gave a happy cry.

"There he is! I can see Professor Potter chasing the colors!" she nearly danced.

Looking up wearily, Dumbledore held up his hand to stop his panting history teacher from trying to explain whilst attempting to remain standing.

"I think I already know, Harry," he sighed.

He hadn't changed the password to Severus's rooms yet, although he hadn't been there either.

"Open, Sesame," he said. Harry looked at him curiously.

"He set that the night after Voldemort was defeated," Dumbledore said, smiling at the memory, "the only time I ever saw him somewhat intoxicated. He never changed it back."

Entering the rooms, the three –technically four, although the baby had little to contribute – stared at the spectral presence that stood in the middle, dark eyes unreadable and a slight smirk on his lips.

"Why, hello, father," he said to Dumbledore, "took you long enough."

Harry took Fiona's hand. "Come, Fiona, this is between the two of them."

"Wait a second, Harry," the spectre said, "I know about the going ons in the castle. I heard your speech to the Slytherins and Gryffindors. I'm sure my living counterpart would have said something exceedingly unpleasant, but I think eventually he would have given you his blessing."

Smiling, Harry took Fiona with him, telling the girl how well she had done and that they would visit the kitchens to get the somewhat shocked girl a mug of hot chocolate.

Dumbledore stared at the spectre of the man he had wanted to call son. "What…what happened?" he asked, "are you…are you a horcrux? Is the baby…"

"Merlin, no, father!" the spectre shook his head in disbelief, "honestly, how could you think that? Did we ever do something Dark, let alone something straight out of 'Magic Moste Evile'? No, the child is not a horcrux, and neither am I."

"Then what are you? What went wrong? Have I condemned you to an eternity of the life and memories you wanted to forget?"

Dumbledore felt himself getting agitated and emotional. In response, the child became upset and starting crying.

Automatically, the old wizard started soothing him.

"Oh, father," the ghostlike Severus shook his head, "yes, something…unexpected…happened. No, it wasn't your fault, not really. And nothing is wrong with my infant self."

Looking at his translucent hands, the spectre decided to start from the beginning.

"When you did the spells, you truly wanted to help me," he began.

"Of course, son," Dumbledore nodded.

"I know. Nevertheless, you weren't ready to let me go. Considering I sprung this on you three days earlier, that's no great surprise. However, part of you tried to hold on to me. Fortunately, only a small part. The de-aging process went fine, and Severus is now the baby you hold in your arms."

Dumbledore lowered his eyes, studying the small face. "He's perfect," he whispered, "not a Horcrux. How, then…"

"The small part of you that wanted to hold on to me, created an imprint of me," the spectre said calmly.

"This is more or less the same process when a portrait is activated upon death. I'm not Severus. I'm merely an imprint of him. I have his memories, but I'm not affected by them. I'm…Severus as he wanted to be. Without the restrains he had built up during his life. I am free to adress you as he would have wanted to do, but couldn't. I was waiting for you to come here so I could explain all this, but you didn't. Not even when you thought you could hear my voice," the spectre chided, mock-frowning, "no one listened except little Miss Grendel. When I realized she could see the 'colors' as she calls them, I told her to find a way to gently bring you here."

Dumbledore's eyes widened. "You mean…her innocent talking about colors and hearing a voice…"

"She IS a Slytherin, Albus. Most of the time she is indeed just chattering, but she is quite capable of inserting seemingly innocent comments to nudge someone in a certain direction."

Swallowing a lump, the old man looked at the spectre. "I miss you."

"I know. I'm not actually alive, so I can't miss you, and my real self is too small, but I do believe he will be content with you. Look at him."

The baby had calmed down, and was smiling at his grandfather, trying to get his attention.

"Gaahhhh," he managed, blowing a tiny, and accidental raspberry.

The spectre floated closer, watching with interest.

"I never looked this healthy as a baby," he commented, "and I certainly never smiled. He's very happy, father. Now, I only have one issue to raise."

"What, child?" Dumbledore asked, holding the baby against his shoulder and bouncing him slightly.

"Where do you want me? Quite honestly, I'm not all that happy about being a disembodied voice in the castle…except in this room. But there are no paintings of me. And at some point, you'll want these rooms back."

"It's my fault," the ancient wizard shook his head, "if I had been stronger…"

"Stop that, father," the spectre said sternly, "I'm no more than an imprint. _Severus_," he stressed, "is laying perfectly content and happy against your shoulder. I'm here because you love him. I'm here because you loved who that child used to be: a harsh, bitter man, hardened by war. While not being able to let go completely complicated matters, it means a lot that it did happen."

Ghostlike fingers tried to rub spines of books, labels of potion vials.

"In time, when you've accepted that Severus Snape is gone, I'll fade. Until then, I'd be happy to live in a painting with you."

"I'll have a painting made," Dumbledore said, looking old and frail, "I'd been planning on having one commissioned anyway."

"Thank you. It would have been better, for you, if this had not happened, and you didn't have to deal with me, but fate dictates otherwise. At least I get to make sure Potter doesn't turn my former students into little Gryffindors."

Dumbledore couldn't help but laugh, and the small infant on his shoulder, tickled by the beard and rumble in his grandfather's chest, made noises that began to sound like small giggles.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sorry the update took a while. I started several new stories for the Third Floor Corridor contests. I'm not in the habit of abandoning stories! And as I said, this one will probably be quite lengthy. I'll be working on it in between other fanfics. Promise.**

Christmas was approaching fast. Severus was now nearly five months old. Dumbledore cuddled him close as he changed him into the green outfit that the child seemed to love, though he consistently pulled off the red socks.

"You're growing so fast," he told the baby, "Who's grandpa's big boy? You. Yes, you are. You're my very own darling boy, aren't you?"

The baby gurgled happily and reached for Dumbledore's half-moon glasses.

"It's a good thing you spelled them to stay on your nose," an amused voice said from the wall.

"Absolutely. And the self-cleaning charm came in handy too." Albus turned to the portrait and smiled.

It showed Severus behind his cauldron, an assortment of ingredients on the table next to it. For some rather odd reason, the portrait was having fun throwing in ingredients at random, making the cauldron explode, and smirk like mad when the explosion didn't do him any harm.

"But you have to agree with me that he is growing fast. Not to mention that he's cute!"

Severus smiled at the baby and waved.

"Yes, I suspect he will be crawling and trying to stand soon. He's doing so well. Not that it is surprising, with the way you spoil him!"

"I do not spoil him, Severus," Albus said softly, touching the painting with the tip of his fingers, "I'm treating him like an infant should be treated. Like he should have been treated the first time."

He sighed. A while ago he had requested to see Severus's medical files, and the contents shocked him to his core.

_He had opened the file and started reading. The papers were in chronological order. He started reading the oldest ones first._

_Severus had been a very neglected, perhaps even abused baby. He was first brought to the hospital at four months old. The reports indicated that he was malnourished, crying a lot, having unexplained bruises on his arms and legs, and generally, failed to thrive. He was given nutrient potions and the bruises were treated, and then he had been sent off._

_At five years old, St. Mungo's had another record of Severus. They reported that the small, scrawny boy had come in with a broken nose. His mother explained that her Muggle husband had insisted that she'd go to a Muggle hospital first, where they had been unable to fix his nose completely. It was crooked, still swollen, and Severus couldn't breath through it._

_She didn't say how the boy broke his nose, nor did the boy say anything at all during the treatment. The Healer managed to repair the function of the nose and reduce the swelling, but the damage was done. The child's nose was deformed. Several healing sessions could eventually have healed it completely, but the family never showed up for further treatment. The Healer also reported that this time, too, Severus was too small and thin for his age, was pale, had more bruises than one would expect from a child his age, and did not make a very cared-for impression._

_Dumbledore sighed. There was nothing else before the age of eleven, so he assumed other injuries hadn't been severe enough to warrant a Healer's intervention. _

_The other reports were from Poppy. He had expected them to be from Severus's spy years mostly, but the number of reports from his school days were disturbing. He picked up the first one. It was dated September 4th, 1971. The first week of school. _

_Poppy reported that a fight between Severus and four first year Gryffindor boys had resulted in the Slytherin child being brought to the infirmary with wounds from cutting hexes. Sirius Black, one of the Gryffindors, had also been brought in. Poppy reported that the Sirius had started the hexing, and Severus had retaliated with the same curse, but Dumbledore could clearly remember that Severus was later punished for throwing the first hex._

_The list was quite long. Severus had ended up in the hospital wing a number of times with injuries from hexing or sabotaging of potions. Sometimes one or more of the Gryffindor boys accompanied him. Usually not. Poppy also reported that in most cases, the boy had wounds all over – as if he had been surrounded and assaulted from all sides._

_The headmaster had trembled when he had read the report on the Werewolf incident. After the talk in his office, he had sent the boy there. Poppy had cleaned up the scrapes he had gotten, but what worried her was that he did not speak or react to anything. _

_The next form, dated three days later, reported a suspected suicide attempt._

_He hadn't been able to help himself. He had lifted the sleeping infant from his crib and held him close, crying as though he thought his heart would break._

"Albus? ALBUS!"

Harry's voice shook him from his memories. The young History teacher looked healthy. The end of term had been hard on him, but with the students gone, he had been able to rest up.

A pair of concerned green eyes studied his face. "Are you alright?"

Dumbledore smiled weakly as he pressed the baby so close to his chest that the infant started to protest.

"Bad memories," he admitted, "nothing anyone can change anymore."

"That's not entirely true," the portrait said, "you already have changed it. Look at him. Do you see bruises, failure to thrive?"

Harry had taken the squirming child from the Headmaster and snorted.

"Junior is a completely happy, healthy baby," he lifted the child over his head.

The baby squeeled in excitement and tried to push both his little fists into his mouth, drooling freely into Harry's hair.

"And you will not repeat your mistakes," Harry said, in between blowing on the child's tummy, causing happy giggles.

"True," Albus nodded.

"I had a question for you, actually," he changed the subject, "could you take Severus tonight? I have a formal banquet to attend. I could, of course, ask Dobby…"

Harry thought for a moment. "Well, I'm going to the Weasleys for dinner," he said, "I'm sure Molly won't mind if I bring him. She has this thing for babies."

"First time seeing the Weasleys again?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes," Harry sighed, "They were supposed to come here, but something always came up. Arthur has been by for tea once. He invited me for tonight."

"So it's going to be intense."

Harry shrugged. "We'll probably beat around the bush endlessly. We'll see. Phoebe and I are going to spend Christmas here together. Are you and Severus going to be here too?"

"Yes, we are. Perhaps we can spend part of the holidays with you?"

Packing Severus's diaper bag, Harry nodded. "We'd like that, Albus. Now come along, little one. It'll be nice to have another raven head with me if we're going to be surrounded by red hair."

"It's not like he has THAT much hair," Albus kissed the silky black layer that covered Severus's head and curled just a bit in his neck and behind his ears.

"Be a good boy, sweetheart. Grandpa loves you. Yes I do. You're my precious little darling."

The baby gurgled happily, reaching for Dumbledore, but didn't cry when Harry took him on his arm and carried him to out the door, on their way to the Floo.

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Molly Weasley had been anxiously preparing for dinner. All her family would be there, and Harry would come too. She checked the perfectly laid out table, tasted the soup one more time and opened the oven to check on the chicken.

One by one her family arrived. Soon the kitchen was full of noise and laughter, like it had been when all her children were still living at home. Looking over the sea of red she found her self subconsciously looking for the one raven head in the mass.

At that moment the floo opened and Harry stepped through, carrying a diaper bag and a baby.

"Good evening," he said a bit stiffly.

"Harry dear," Molly wiped away a tear discreetly, "we're so happy you came."

She hugged him carefully before cooing over the infant. "And who is this little fellow?"

Severus pouted, his lip quivering at all the unfamiliar faces. Harry lifted him to his shoulder and bounced him a little to shush him.

"Harry James Potter!" Molly said sternly, "Tell me this child isn't yours."

Harry snorted. "Molly, he is five months old. 14 months ago I was in hospital, paralysed from the waist down. I couldn't possibly have fathered any children back then."

Awkward silence filled the room. Molly blushed, and Arthur saved the situation by transfiguring a stool into a crib.

"Here you are, Harry, in case the little tyke gets sleepy." The Weasley Pater Familias had been briefed on Severus's situation.

He hesitated. "Can I hold him for a moment, Harry? If he doesn't mind?"

Harry shrugged. "You can try."

Arthur took Severus carefully and cuddled him in his arms. "Hello little one," he said softly, "coming for dinner as well? Welcome to the Burrow."

Severus, who had still been pouting, watched Arthur with large dark eyes and suddenly he smiled, waving his fists about, babbling. "Adadada…"

"What's his name, Harry?" Bill asked, holding his own daughter – a year older than Severus – on his lap.

"His name is Severus," Harry said, deliberately casual as he put down the diaper bag and took his place next to Arthur, "but I call him Junior mostly."

Except for Arthur and Severus, who were conversing in a babylanguage unintelligible to anyone alse, the whole room was completely shocked into silence.

"Severus…"

"Junior?" The twins finally managed.

Harry nodded. "Surely you heard Professor Snape passed away. His last request was for Albus to take care of this little one."

"Snape's DEAD?"

"This is Snape's kid?"

"Dumbledore's taking care of him?"

"Then what is he doing here?" Ron asked indignantly over the general noise.

Harry calmly took Severus on his lap, and with a quick spell a small amount of food was blended.

"He is here because Albus asked me to babysit tonight. I apologise, Molly, for not letting you know I would be taking him with me, but it was rather short notice."

"No problem, Harry," Molly smiled, tapping the soft babycheek with her finger, "we certainly have enough food to feed one more tiny stomach."

The dinner proceeded calmly. Harry listened to the others mostly, not talking much himself. When the table was cleared, he turned to Molly.

"I need to change his diaper," he said apologetically, "is there anywhere…"

"I always just cast a cushioning charm on the table," Bill offered, "and I use a containment charm to keep the smell from spreading."

Harry grinned, and started to follow Bill's advice.

"I still don't see why you would be taking care of Snape's kid," Ron sulked, "greasy git's finally gone and now we get stuck with his son."

Harry's eyes flashed dangerously, but Arthur beat him to any answer he may have made.

"RONALD! I will not tolerate such language in my house! If you can't manage not to speak ill of the dead, then don't speak at all!"

Ron shut up, and Harry busied himself with Severus. Having changed the baby, he fed him a little formula before tucking him in the crib.

"Sleep well, Junior," he affectionately kissed the dark hair. The baby yawned and settled to sleep.

A partial Silencing charm – they would hear the baby while the baby could not hear them – and Molly brought out dessert.

"Treacle tart!" Harry smiled, "thank you, Molly."

"You're welcome, dear," the witch replied, serving him an almost double portion, "now, tell us, how is your job? Do you enjoy teaching?"

"Very much so," Harry managed, swallowing, "it is fun trying to find new ways to teach them. And the students seem to appreciate it very much. We re-enact major battles regularly. Used to do it outside but now we use the Great Hall if the weather is bad."

"Sounds like an improvement from Binns," Charlie said appreciatively. The others nodded.

"Who is Head of Slytherin, now that Snape is gone?" George asked.

Harry took a sip of butterbeer and took a deep breath. "I am."

He closed his eyes and counted. "T-minus three…two…one…"

"ARE YOU INSANE?"

"Harry, are you sure, I mean…"

"You've gotta be kidding us, mate, Harry Potter Head of Slytherin?"

Right on cue.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told the Slytherins and Gryffindors," Harry said, "Slytherin alone did not cause this war. We are just as responsible for turning our back on that House. Remember Blaise? They aren't all evil. And certainly not the children that are in Slytherin right now. If we want to prevent a repeat of the past decades, we should start with treating all children equal."

Arthur, and to some extend his eldest two sons, nodded, smiling in understanding, but the other faces remained firmly set in scowl mode.

Molly bent over Severus's crib. "Sleeping soundly. How does Albus manage, running the school and raising a child?" she wondered.

"Dobby helps him," Harry said, ignoring the occasional glare from Ron, "Winky helps take care of me. And he hired Phoebe, of course."

Molly smiled softly, seeing how Harry's face lit up when he mentioned that name.

"Phoebe?" Ginny inquired icily.

"Hermione mentioned her," Ron muttered, "school secretary. Face deformed by a huge scar."

"In other words, butt ugly," Ginny giggled, relieved.

Harry's eyes blazed with fire.

"SHUT UP, RON!" he yelled, "You don't know what you are talking about. And you, Ginny! Laughing at her misfortune! If you want to know, she got that scar fighting off three Death Eaters singlehandedly when they tried to kill her grandparents. She's the one who kept me going those months in therapy, she's the one who sat by my bed those first weeks…not you. She's the most wonderful person in the world and I love her like crazy!"

He suddenly stopped, panting slightly. The whole table stared at him in shock. Quickly he gathered Severus's diaper bag and carefully lifted the sleeping infant in his arms before walking to the Floo.

"Thank you for dinner," he nodded to Molly, a bit confused, "I…I…bye."

Throwing in a handful of powder, he stepped into the flames and back into the castle, wondering what on earth had just happened.


	12. Chapter 12

"Harry?"

Albus Dumbledore entered his appartments where all lights were out. He first went to the nursery.

Severus was awake, and playing with his toes. Albus picked him up and cuddled him.

"Hi there, my little one. Didn't feel like sleeping, hmmm? Did you have a nice dinner with the Weasley family?"

The baby crowed in response, his dark eyes glittering with happiness. Dumbledore smiled and touched the small nose with his own one before pressing a kiss on the soft hair. He walked into the living room.

A shadowy shape on the couch told him Severus had not been left alone.

"Harry?"

"Hi, Albus," came the soft response.

"Did…you have a nice evening…?" Albus asked warily.

"Oh, just perfect," Harry sighed.

"No trouble with Severus, I hope?"

"Severus was a little angel, like he always is," Harry put his head in his hands, "he completely had Arthur wrapped around his little finger, Molly doesn't know what to think but her mothering instincts took over. He ate some of Molly's fine cooking – can't start him on that too early- and then he slept for most of the evening."

"Gooooood," Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, "I'm just going to put little Angel here back to bed, and then I would love to hear what happened during the remainder of the evening."

Albus cuddled the baby for a little longer before putting him back in his bed. Severus yawned a bit and held on to his grandpa's finger. Albus just ran a finger up and down the soft babycheeks until the child relaxed into sleep and let go.

"Now, what's wrong, my boy?" he said when he returned to the living room and a glum looking Harry.

Harry sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

"It was alright in the beginning, tense, but I hadn't expected otherwise. Ron and Ginny reacted badly to Severus, even though I hinted that he is Snape's son, and Ron made some very harsh remarks. Arthur told him off, and we were alright again for a while, until I mentioned Phoebe."

He leaned back into the couch and covered his face with his hands.

"Ron and Ginny proceeded to insult her. Ron said something about her having a scar and being hideous, and Ginny said she must be butt ugly."

Albus's eyes grew cold. "They said that?"

He was very fond of his secretary, and anyone insulting her had better run for cover. If Harry didn't get to them first.

"Yeah. And I freaked out, Albus. I shouted at them that Phoebe got the scar defending her family, and then I…ooooohhhhhhh…"

"Harry?" Albus sat next to the young professor, "what did you do?"

"I said I love her like crazy," Harry whispered in horror.

Albus couldn't help it. His twinkling became so intense he nearly burned out his own eyeballs.

"That is wonderful, my young friend! Why are you so upset? Phoebe is an amazing young lady."

"YES! She is!" Harry exclaimed, jumping up and pacing the room, "that's the whole problem! She can't love me, she doesn't want to live her life with me."

"But why ever not, child?" Albus was genuinly surprised, "how do you know she doesn't?"

"Because…Because I'm supposed to be everyone's hero! Haven't I let the Wizarding World down enough? I'm supposed to be their savior, but I'm a useless cripple now! I may never father children. How can I ask Phoebe to love someone like me? With my past? Who can't give her what she wants, like I can't give the whole wizard society what they want? Who perhaps can't even give her children? She is brave, and kind, and compassionate. She deserves better than me!"

Albus lowered his eyes and wept silently.

"Oh Harry, child, what have I done to you?"

He took the young man's hands in his own. "Harry, you are a brave, strong, caring young man yourself. You took on the whole future of the Wizarding World when you were just a child, and you did what needed to be done. I'm certain you and Phoebe would do famously together. You deserve happiness. You deserve a wonderful, rich life. You deserve Phoebe."

Harry shook his head sadly. "Don't try to convince me just because you feel guilty, Albus. This is who I am now. I may have done my job, but it destroyed me. It destroyed any chance of normalcy I ever had. My life, and that of my family, will continue to be in danger just because there might be people crazy enough to target me, so they can say they did what Voldemort could not do. No one taught me how to function in a family. I never experienced an example of that. I have nothing to offer Phoebe. If I love her, which I do, deeply, I must not tell her how I feel, and encourage her as a friend when she finds someone who IS worthy of her."

Thinking for a moment, he added, "I'm not good enough for her. But that won't stop me from bashing it into those thick skulls of Ron and Ginny that I won't tolerate another insult directed at her."

Albus watched with sorrow in his eyes as the young man gave him a small, apologetic smile and left for his own rooms.

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Severus sat in his cradle chair on the talbe, watching Granddad levitate the Christmas tree in. Delighted with this show of magic, he clapped his little hands happily.

"DADA!" he cried out, waving one little fist at Albus.

The Headmaster slowly levitated the tree into place and sat in front of the child.

"Did you say Granddad? Did you, sweetie? Can you say it again for your old Granddad? Please, honey?"

Severus smiled a wide toothless grin. Granddad, as he always called himself, liked what he had said! He must have gotten it right!

Tugging Grandpa's beard enthusiastically, he repeated "DADA!"

Dumbledore picked him up from his chair and cuddled him, practically dancing around the room with Severus in his arms. Squealing in excitement, Severus reached for the tree when they came near. It looked so pretty!

"Oh, my big boy, you said your first word," Grandpa kissed his cheeks and nose, that felt nice. Severus sighed and snuggled against the soft hair and beard.

He sat up in Granddad's arms again when a few boxes came their way.

"We're going to charm in the ornaments now," Grandpa said, "look!"

Waving his stick, Grandpa floated one of the nice shiny things to the tree where it stuck.

Severus reached for the stick, trying to put it in his mouth. Maybe he could taste why it did that.

"No, no, sweetheart, no playing with Granddad's wand. It's dangerous. When you're a big boy, all ready for school, you will get your own wand."

Ignoring Grandpa, Severus chewed on the wood with his gums, drooling quite freely.

"Are you teething?" a thought suddenly struck Granddad, the wand was taken from his hands and Granddad stuck a finger into his mouth and felt his gums. When he hit a spot right in front, Severus winced and pulled back.

"You are! You're going to have your very first tooth soon! I'll have to ask Poppy for something to deal with the nasty side effects, won't I?"

He put the baby down on a blanket and gave him his toy snitch to play with.

Severus waved the snitch about and giggled whenever an ornament flew by, trying to catch it. He rolled over – still with some effort – and eyed the wand on the table. He wanted to chew on it again…

"GA!" Albus suddenly heard behind him, and he turned around to see the baby waving the wand about.

"Severus! Oh, how stupid of me to leave it on the table where it could roll off. Come, my boy, give that to Grandpa."

Severus pouted when his new toy was taken from him. Grandpa finished putting the shining things into the tree and Severus was happy when afterwards, Grandpa decided to read him a story about a little baby in a barn, with all sorts of beasties in it. He didn't understand much of it, but he put in his best efforts by chewing on the cardboard cover as hard as he could.

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Phoebe lay in bed, unable to sleep. She tossed and turned, tried to lay on her left side, then her right. To no avail. She got up to get herself a mug of hot milk.

Sneaking to the kitchens, she tickled the pear when she heard a sudden voice behind her.

"Out after hours, are we?"

Jumping a foot into the air, she turned quickly. And looked into the transparant smirking face of Athena Verity, the ghost of a young girl that died somewhere in the 1700's, three months after having been elected Head Girl.

"Not fair," she pouted.

"Sorry dear. It was just too hard to resist. Couldn't sleep, then?"

"No," Phoebe sighed as she entered the kitchens. The house elves that were still awake – not many at this hour – happily served hot milk and cookies.

"Something troubling you, dear?" The ghost asked kindly. "You can tell me, you know. Merlin knows I've done my share of talking over the years, both alive and as a ghost. Whatever you say stays between the two of us."

Phoebe stared into her mug. "It's Harry," she admitted.

"Professor Potter? How so?"

"He's been such a good friend to me," Phoebe looked up with tears in her eyes, "he's so brave and wonderful. He could have girls left and right if he wanted to. I…"

"Are you in love with him, my dear?"

Phoebe sniffed a bit. "I think I'm close to it," she admitted, "oh, Athena, it's horrible!"

"Horrible?" the ghost smiled, "even in my day, when I was alive, being in love was only considered horrible if the object of your infatuation was unsuitable or otherwise engaged. Such is no longer the case."

"But…but Harry…Harry can't love me!"

"Why not? He certainly likes you."

"But I'm hideous! Harry pities me! Every girl under the age of 30, and some above, even, would be delighted to marry him! He deserves better than me."

"Girl, don't be ridiculous," the ghost said sternly, "Harry knows all too well those girls only want to marry the Boy Who Lived. He doesn't care about appearances."

"But some day he'll realize," Phoebe shook her head, "I'm not good enough for him. I'll just have to get over it."

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The next day, Harry received a large package from Fred and George, with apologies about their shocked reactions at dinner, and the suggestion that the items within the box be used to knock some sense of civility into their siblings.

With a grin that would have freaked out Voldemort himself, Harry started planning.


	13. Chapter 13

Albus arrived at the breakfast table two days later looking exhausted. He carried a cranky-looking Severus on his arm.

"Hey Junior," Harry said with a worried glance, "what's wrong?"

He made to pick up the child, but Severus clung to the Headmaster and started crying.

"He's teething," Dumbledore reported tiredly, "and for some insane reason, babies get a very bad diaper rash and diarrhoea when teething. He's been up most of the night."

Poppy nodded. "Many parents notice that, Albus. Come by after breakfast, and I'll have something ready to treat the diaper rash and ease the soreness in his gums."

The spontaneous offer surprised Albus, but he took it gratefully.

Severus wasn't too interested in eating, and soon he was laying on a bed in the hospital wing.

"Undress him, Albus, I'll give him a checkup while he's here anyway."

This time, the nurse cast a warming charm on the bed first.

Albus stripped off the clothes and nappy, leaving a naked and obviously relieved baby on the sheets.

"Yes, I bet it feels better in the air than in a nappy, doesn't it, child," he kissed the dark head, "Nurse Pomfrey will make it all better."

The nurse came back with a small jar and winced when she saw the red bottom and privates. In some places the skin had even broken.

"Here, Albus, why don't you put this salve on his bottom while I check him over."

Severus sighed contently when the sores disappeared as soon as Dumbledore put the creamy salve on.

"He's perfectly healthy," the nurse reported, "and will soon be the proud owner of two teeth."

"Yes?" Dumbledore smiled.

"Yes," the nurse confirmed, "see? Below."

Two tiny white tips shone through Severus's gums.

"He'll look even more adorable with two teeth," Dumbledore tickled the baby, who babbled and tried to catch his finger.

"Dada, Dada, Dada."

"Ah," Poppy grinned, "you've been teaching him to say Daddy as well."

"Granddad," Dumbledore corrected, "and he started it."

"Oh Albus," the nurse said, "he made that sound to imitate you, and you probably praised and cuddled him. That made him all the more eager to try and say it again. Yes, didn't it, little one?"

Dumbledore watched the nurse in amazement. "I had the idea, Poppy, that you didn't like him much," he said carefully.

The nurse had the good grace to look ashamed. "I didn't, Albus. I…most of the staff thought this was some weird stunt. But Harry and Minerva have been telling us off a lot, saying he's an innocent baby now and we should act like the adults we are. They were right, of course. We were selfish not to consider that this is the hardest on you."

Albus looked at the baby who was playing with his finger.

"It is very hard," he admitted, "I've truly lost Severus. The portrait is some consolation, and this little one…he is really my grandson to me, like Severus was my son, but it doesn't make it easy."

Poppy patted his arm. "I know. Severus and I often bit each other's head off when I had to treat students from his classes a lot, but we could all see, after the war, when he didn't have to keep up appearances anymore, that he meant a lot to you and you to him."

"Not enough," Dumbledore muttered, "not enough for him to stay. The things I've done to him over the years…he just didn't believe me anymore, I guess. He knew it in the end, and for that I am grateful, but he wanted to go ahead with the de-aging anyway."

Poppy didn't know what to say. She picked up something that looked like a Muggle marker, and gently treated Severus's gums with it.

"There. He should feel loads better now."

To prove her words, Severus yawned, rubbed his eyes, put his thumb in his mouth and slowly drifted off into sleep.

"You should leave his diaper off for a little while longer, so that the salve has time to heal him up completely."

They watched the sleeping child for long moments until the nurse carefully replaced the nappy.

"Can I hold him for a moment?" she asked hesitatingly.

Albus nodded.

Lifting the child carefully, Poppy smiled. "He's beautiful. All those reports over the years, when he was here…and his medical file from when he was a baby…perhaps he made the right choice after all."

Dumbledore left with a smile on his lips, glad another person was beginning to see Severus as the innocent baby he was now. He tucked Severus in his crib and decided he could do with some more sleep as well. Sighing in contentment, after checking once again on the now quiet and comfortable child, he slid under the duvet and was back in Morpheus' embrace within seconds.

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Phoebe was up late that morning. After a nice relaxing bath and some brunch a house elf brought her, she walked down to the library to find some nice books to read over the holidays.

Madam Pince gave her a rare smile, and informed her that since the students were gone, the rules on talking in the library wouldn't be enforced as strictly, but would she keep the volume down anyway?

Pledging low numbers of decibels and utmost consideration for the books, Phoebe walked on, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the overzealous librarian.

Her heart jumped just a little bit when she saw Harry at a table near a window, surrounded by books.

He looked up at her and smiled. "Hi. I stopped by your rooms last night to see if you'd care for a butterbeer, but you were out. Fancy one later?"

An act of the will prevented her from blushing like a schoolgirl.

"Sure. I was…last night, Minerva asked me to come with her," she explained in a rush, "to some small formal affair. She said it would be good for me to get out of the castle for a while. So I went and I met someone who was at Hogwarts the same time you were, and he asked me out to dinner after the holidays."

She watched Harry closely for any sign of hurt or disappointment, but his face was simply blank. Friendly and smiling, but blank.

"That is great, Phoebs. So I know him?"

"Yes," Phoebe said, "His name is Zacharias Smith. He said he was in your DA."

He had also said some unfriendly things about Harry that made her think the two of them didn't get along very well. Maybe if Harry felt the same about her, he would speak up now.

"Ah yes," Harry said, his voice carefully neutral, "we weren't very good friends at school but it's been some time since I last saw him. I'm sure he grew up to be a fine young man."

Phoebe had to swallow painfully.

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"Stupid," Harry berated himself mentally, "A fine young man? What am I, her grandfather? Of course Smith didn't grow up to be a fine young man, no doubt he's still the ass he was back then."

He kept smiling at Phoebe, but inside his thoughts were racing.

"She is going on a date with this guy! That must mean she doesn't…doesn't feel the same about me. I guess…Drat. It would be so much easier to support her in whatever relationship she choses to have, if it wasn't Smith, of all people."

He felt a lump in his throat and barely managed to get a normal sounding: "See you in the Three Broomsticks at 8, then," out of his throat.

Turning his suddenly misty eyes back to his book, he completely missed Phoebe's hurt look.

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Dumbledore spent the second half of the afternoon doing some paperwork. He was relieved that since Phoebe had joined the staff, the load of papers on his desk was absent. The small pile that made it's way to his desk occasionally was now managable and already sorted in order of importance.

Dobby was playing with Severus on the carpet in front of the Christmas tree. Severus enjoyed seeing his and Dobby's distorted face reflected in the ornaments and he was giggling happily, no longer bothered by his teeth and diaper rash.

An ornament flew from midway up the tree and floated gently down to Severus. Dumbledore caught the movement from the corner of his eye.

"Dobby, don't give him the ornaments. They're charmed to be unbreakable but he should learn they are for tree decoration, not play."

The House Elf looked up confused.

"Dobby didn't give Severus….ooohhhh! Little master Severus! Yous did magic you did!"

Dumbledore looked up, delighted. "Did he, now?"

Severus, laying on his stomach on the floor, smiled his toothy grin. The two teeth, now clearly visible, had made several of the females in the castle melt when he smiled at them.

Dobby nodded. "Dobby didn't give little master the ornament, little master Summoned it from the tree!"

Severus proved Dobby right by letting another ornament float down.

"Oh dear," Dumbledore smirked, "We will have to be extra alert, Dobby."

He picked up the baby and hugged him. "You are so clever. My smart little boy, did you find out how to do magic?"

He suddenly realised something. "So my wand didn't roll off the table on its own the other day either, did it?"

Severus, of course, didn't reply. His eyes shone with happiness and he tightly clasped his prize, a nice shiny ornament.

Dumbledore smiled. "Time for bed, young man," he kissed the child's face, "a clean diaper and a warm bottle, and tomorrow morning you'll find lots of brightly wrapped presents under the tree."

Severus studied the ornament intensely as he was changed into his green footed pyjamas. But when he saw the bottle Dumbledore was holding in his free hand, he dropped the ornament immediately in favor of the warm milk.

Chuckling, Dumbledore supported the bottle at the end while Severus wrapped ten tiny fingers around it, trying to hold it up himself.

Harry stormed in, clearly upset.

"I hate this! Why can't I have a father like other people, who could explain GIRLS to me!" he ranted.

"I think Lily would have been more helpful in that area than James," Albus offered, his eyes still on the infant.

"Albus…" Harry groaned, "What do I do? She's going out with that jerk, and I have to pretend to support her. He's not worth her!"

"Who, dear boy?"

"PHOEBE! SMITH! I mean…Zacharias Smith asked Phoebe out on a date, and she told me about it and she seemed all excited so I told her that was great and encouraged her to get out of the castle more often and rebuild her social life – and now that she is doing exactly that, I find I cannot STAND IT!"

"Harry, child, I understand you are upset, but refrain from shouting, please. Severus is just dozing off."

The History professor looked a bit sheepish. "Sorry, Albus. Sweet dreams, junior. We're coming by tomorrow morning to open our presents together."

Junior gave him a sleepy grin and burped. Then he closed his eyes again and snuggled against his Granddad.

The adults quietly put him to bed.

"Thanks for listening to my rant, Albus," Harry sighed, "Sorry."

Dumbledore put a hand on his Professor's shoulder.

"Quite alright, my boy, you have done nothing wrong. Feel free to come talk to me any time you wish. Even though dating wasn't exactly the same it is now when I was your age."

"Thank you, Albus," Harry said gratefully. He feared he was never going to get this 'girls' business down.


	14. Chapter 14

"…and then I was the best in my year in History of Magic, so I don't really see why Potter should be teaching it…"

Phoebe sighed inwardly, wondering for the fifteeth time that evening why she had ever let Zacharias take her on a date.

"Wizards and their impractical thinking," she thought grumpily, "at least Muggles can discreetly check their watch, but casting a 'Tempus' is just unforgivably rude."

Though she could not check, she knew one thing: time had certainly slowed down to snail's pace. Finally, after having droned on and on, filling her in on his importance both at Hogwarts, at the Final Battle, and in his job, they got up to leave. Zacharias escorted her to the gates of Hogwarts.

"Thank you for your invitation, and dinner, Zacharias," Phoebe smiled slightly, and offered her hand.

"A hand only, darling?" Zacharias leaned closer, intent on planting a kiss on her lips, but Phoebe turned her head and the kiss landed on her cheek.

"Please, Zacharias," she stepped back a little and cast a glance in the direction of the castle, "let's not rush. We know so little of each other yet."

'Is Potter on the lookout?" Zacharias sneered, "I bet you do know him very well."

Phoebe nodded. "A year in physical therapy will do that. Honestly, Zacharias, I don't understand your dislike of Harry."

Zacharias folded his arms and scowled. "He is a show-off, an attention seeker. You didn't know him at Hogwarts. He always thought he knew best. Had the presumption to proclaim himself DADA teacher in his fifth year. He survived out of pure dumb luck. You had better keep your distance from him, he tends to get people that care about him killed. Or didn't you hear about Cedric Diggory and his godfather?"

Phoebe paled. Yes, she HAD heard about Cedric and Sirius. It had taken Harry a long time and some professional help to at least come to terms with some of his life and his losses. He had slowly learned to accept that Cedric and Sirius's deaths were not his fault, but she knew that if he had heard what Zacharias said, it would've come back full force.

"Harry is a kind, brave man," she said angrily, "he has been my best friend for over a year now and I am more alive that I ever thought I would be because of him. I'm sorry, Zacharias, but I don't think this is going to work. Goodnight."

She walked in the direction of the castle, leaving a gobsmacked young man behind. Wiping at a tear, she pulled her cloak tighter around her against the cold.

"Didn't work out, did it?" Athena's ghostly form asked, floating a little ahead of her.

"No. He's boring, mean, selfish and horrible."

"Ah. That doesn't sound like a good match."

Phoebe stood still at the gates. "He insulted Harry."

Athena giggled. "Zacharias Smith always detested Harry. I think he is jealous, and a little too convinced of his own importance."

"I just wanted to…to…"

"Make Harry jealous?" Athena inquired, "you certainly did. Give the poor boy a break, Phoebe, and tell him you would not be averse to his pursuing you. I'm sure he'd be happy to!" she called after the quickly retreating form of the Hogwarts secretary.

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Phoebe and Harry met outside the Headmaster's office early the next morning.

"Hi," Phoebe said, smiling a bit uncertain.

"Hey," Harry responded, albeit a bit stiffly, "how was your date?"

"Oh…alright I guess. I'm not very experienced with how these things are supposed to go."

Mentally she berated herself for not just telling Harry it wasn't going to work out between her and Zacharias.

"Let's go up, shall we?" Harry smiled, "I bet Albus has been up since five. Can you believe he still makes lists for Father Christmas?"

Phoebe giggled. "I can believe that of Albus, yes."

They entered the rooms snickering, and found Albus on the couch with Severus in his lap. The child stared in fascination at all the packages beneath the tree.

"Hello, Junior," Harry smiled, "ready for your presents?"

Severus smiled at them.

"Oh, can I hold him? Please?" Phoebe begged.

Albus chuckled. "Have I ever refused you?"

With Severus on her arm, his head resting against her shoulder, she walked towards the tree.

"My grandparents taught me to sing Silent Night before unwrapping any gifts. They were very devout people. My Grandfather said we should so we would not forget what Christmas is about. It was one of my first Christmas memories of them, a very solemn but beautiful moment on Christmas morning. Do you mind if I sing it for Severus now?"

Albus smiled. "I remember that song. It was not as well known as it is now when I was a child, but I did learn it. Mind if I sing along? You too, Harry?"

Severus looked up in surprise when the adults stood around him, his eyes widening when Phoebe's clear voice rang through the room, followed soon by two male voices.

"Silent night Holy night  
All is calm all is bright  
'Round yon virgin Mother and Child  
Holy infant so tender and mild  
Sleep in heavenly peace  
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night,  
Shepherds quake at the sight.  
Glories stream from heaven afar,  
Heav'nly hosts sing Alleluia;  
Christ the Savior is born;  
Christ the Savior is born.

Silent night, holy night,  
Son of God, love's pure light.  
Radiant beams from Thy holy face,  
With the dawn of redeeming grace,   
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth;  
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth."

When their voices died away after the last verse, they smiled brightly at the awed child, and settled down around the tree.

"Here's a present for you, Junior," Harry said, handing Severus a brightly wrapped parcel.

Junior proceeded to eat the wrapping paper.

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It was shortly before Valentine's day.

"Albus."

The headmaster looked up from his work to see Severus's portrait waving at him.

"Yes, child?"

"Albus…I'm fading."

"What? NO! You can't leave, not yet," Dumbledore pleaded, rushing to the canvas and putting his fingers against the portrait's face.

"Oh, the portrait will remain," the painting smiled, "but I'll be gone from it. Albus, I never really WAS Severus, you know. Just an imprint."

"You said you would stay until I had gotten over Severus's loss! I don't think…"

"No, you're not over that, completely," the portrait acknowledged, "but you've grown very attached to the baby, and in doing so, you're slowly letting Severus go."

The old wizard let out a sob. "No, don't leave, Severus, Severus!"

"I'll be around for a little while longer," the portrait soothed, "but soon I'll be gone."

He fell silent for a moment. "Did you know that Severus loved you? Nothing in the world mattered more to him than your opinion."

"But not enough to stay!" Dumbledore nearly shouted, "Not enough to try…for me…"

He sat down, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"I wanted him to be happy," he said brokenly.

"He IS happy, Albus," the portrait assured him, "he is perfectly happy. You're doing a great job with the little one. You would have tried to make him happy for many years, and you would not have been able to dispel the pain in his soul. Severus knew that. He loved you for wanting to make him happy, but he knew it was impossible, unless he did something drastic. Now you can love him freely, all you want, and it is within your power to give him the happiness you had in mind for him. It will just take longer than you wished."

A cry from the nursery made them both look up.

"Go to your son, Albus," the portrait said, "and love him."

Comforted by the warmth of the baby's small body against his chest, Albus realized the portrait was right – he was slowly letting go.

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An extra Hogsmeade visit had been announced for Valentine's day. Half the Professors volunteered to chaperone. After the horrors of war, love was now in the air.

Phoebe happily wandered around Hogsmeade, trying to decide whether or not she should send Harry an anonymous Valentine. She was admiring the display in a shop window when a voice purred in her ear.

"Looking for something…romantic?"

Startled, she cried out.

"Zacharias! How…why…what are you doing here?" She slowly calmed and her breathing evened out.

"Today is Valentine's day and I am all alone," the young man complained, "you never contacted me."

"I told you it wouldn't work, Zacharias," she tried to get away, but he held her tightly and began to pull her to the alley next to the store. From the corner of her eye, Phoebe saw Fiona run away, and hoped the girl would bring back help.

"I want you, despite your deformed face," Smith growled, "Potter. Potter drove us apart, but I want you, and you will want me!"

With that, he pressed close to her and tried to kiss her.

"NONONONO!" Phoebe tried to scream before a large hand covered her mouth and pressed.


	15. Chapter 15

Fiona, terrified, watched the man assault Miss Phoebe, before she found the wits to run off. A short distance away, she found the teacher she was looking for.

"PROFESSOR!" she screamed from a distance, running as fast as her legs would go.

Harry turned to see what the panic was about. "Fiona?"

"Pfsr…," the girl panted, "Pfessr…Miss Falcon…man…hurting her…behind Zonko's…Alley."

"Phoebe!" Harry rushed off, ignoring everything else. She followed him as soon as she caught her breath.

"Hmffff!" Phoebe wrestled, trying to keep Zacharias away.

"Oh Merlin, let someone come, someone help me, Harry, Harry, HARRY!" she begged inside her head.

Zacharias tore her cloak and her dress, forcing her down on the cold street.

"Potter is a weakling," he growled, "he won't save you now."

"SMITH!"

Phoebe nearly fainted in relief. "HARRY!" she yelled, when Zacharias stood up in surprise.

"Well, well, Potter," he drawled.

"Leave her alone, Smith," Harry hissed, "get your paws off her."

"She's mine," Zacharias sneered, "what are you going to do about it, you pathetic invalid little has-been!"

Harry's eyes flashed in anger and for a moment, Zacharias stepped back. Phoebe managed to free herself. But then Harry's legs gave way from under him and his wand slipped from his hand as he fell.

"NO!" Phoebe yelled, trying to get to Harry. Zacharias grabbed her roughly.

"See what has become of your hero? A pathetic excuse for a wizard, too weak to stand on his legs. Very well, he can stay there and watch us bond."

"Stupify!"

Zacharias ducked just in time to avoid the wandless curse from Harry, who, despite being on the ground, was glowing with power. Angry, and not willing to admit he was intimidated, Zacharias drew his own wand.

"Expelliarmus!" sounded a young, but determined voice.

Fiona had reached the Alley and saw Professor Potter on the ground without his wand. To her surprise, he still threw a spell at the evil man trying to hurt Miss Phoebe. She knew instinctively that the Professor could handle the man and didn't need her protection, but before she knew it, she had drawn her wand and cast the Disarming spell.

"Petrificus Totalis," Harry guided so much power into the spell that Zacharias not only froze, but slammed into the wall.

"Phoebe," he called, "Phoebe, are you alright?"

"Y-yes," a shaking voice came from the back of the Alley. Phoebe clutched desperately at her torn clothes. Harry unclasped his cloak.

"Take this," he said softly, "please, Phoebs."

He sat back and sighed in pain. "Winky," he called.

The little elf appeared, and took in the scene in shock.

"Get the Headmaster, Winky," Harry said, slowly losing his battle with sleep, "my braces…Phoebe…Fiona?"

The girl approached.

"Well done," Harry whispered, "do something for me. Point your wand at him and say Bindus."

Fiona obeyed, and watched in awe as ropes shot from her wand to bind Zacharias firmly. The girl then stood guard over the three figures until the Headmaster appeared at the Alley, a suspiciously short time later, followed by McGonagall. Harry by then was overcome by fatigue, and Phoebe had retreated into herself.

Albus oversaw the situation quickly.

"Winky, pop Phoebe to Madam Pomfrey and then come back quickly for Harry. I'm taking Mr. Smith to the castle. Minerva, please look after Miss Grendel."

Fiona watched the Headmaster, Miss Phoebe and finally Professor Potter disappear. She looked up shyly to the Transfiguration Professor. The woman usually intimidated her, but now there was a smile on the Professor's lips.

"I think you could use a hot cup of tea and some ginger newts," she said to the girl, "come along, child. You were very brave."

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Harry slowly opened his eyes. His dazed brains were confused for a moment. Last he remembered was an alley in Hogsmeade – but now someone had put up a ceiling over the town that looked like the one in his bedroom.

"W-Winky?" he asked.

A soft 'pop' told him the elf had entered.

"Master Harry is awake!" Winky said happily, "is Master Harry feeling alright?"

Harry slowly sat up. "Yes…I think so…Phoebe!" he suddenly exclaimed, memories making their way back to him, "Is she alright? Where is Smith? I swear if he touched her I'm going to…"

"Miss Phoebe is being alright, Master Harry. She is being sad, though. Madam Nurse is helping her. Headmaster has taken the bad man. Winky was frightened, Master Harry, Professor Dumbledore sir was being so angry! Aurors took the bad man, and Winky and Dobby had to sit him down on the couch and give him little Master Severus to hold before he was calm again."

Cursing, Harry struggled to get out of bed. "If only I hadn't been so bloody weak! I fell right at his feet. I've become worthless!"

Winky put a hand on his knee. "No, yous not, Master Harry."

He glared at her. "I had to have a first year help me!"

"Little miss Fiona was a very brave witch, but Master Harry would have been fine without her. Master Harry doesn't NEED a wand. Master Harry must stop being angry at himself. Miss Phoebe is safe, and the bad man is in prison."

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Phoebe sat on her bed, her knees drawn up to her chin. She shivered as she remembered Zacharias's hard hands, his demanding tone. She had been so terrified.

But then Harry had come. Harry had saved her. Even when his legs gave out, he was still capable of defending her. She sobbed silently. SHE should have been casting spells, she should have been able to defend herself, to at least help Harry. But it had been up to a little girl to do that.

"No point in blaming yourself, you know," a familiar voice said. Athena.

"Who else do I have to blame?" Phoebe asked bitterly, "I went out with him to make Harry jealous. I brought this on myself."

"Don't you dare!" the ghost floated right in front of her, "He should not have touched you. It was not your fault. My mother used to say: 'A girl should behave proper and dignified, Athena, but even if you were to walk into the streets stark naked, the only action a man should take is to offer you his cloak.' I do believe she was right."

Phoebe smiled slightly. "Your mother sounds like a sensible woman. Yet, I still was stupid. What will Harry think of me now?"

"PHOEBE!"

The ghost turned her head to the door. The wood groaned under the pressure someone was applying to it from the outside.

"I do believe you are about to find out, dear," she smirked as she floated through the nearest wall.

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"_Where is Miss Phoebe?"_

"_Where is Professor Potter?"_

"_Is it true someone attacked them?"_

"_Could it be Death Eaters?"_

"_No, there are no Death Eaters anymore."_

"_How do we know that?"_

"_There wasn't any Dark Mark over Hogsmeade…"_

"_The Slytherins are quiet today, they must be up to something."_

"_Look, the Headmaster is standing up!"_

Albus Dumbledore waited until the Hall quieted and glanced at the Slytherin table. They did look subdued and frightened.

"Miss Falcon-Ashley was indeed attacked today. Professor Potter was able to defeat her attacker. No, he was not a Death Eater. But the world, as a friend of mine once said, is not divided in good people and Death Eaters. There is still selfishness, and greed, and jealousy in the world. I'm afraid that is something we will always have to fight against."

His gaze swept over the solemn faces in front of him. Then he smiled brightly.

"But, there is also bravery, and love, and people who would sacrifice their own safety for the sake of others. Those people we should honor. Miss Fiona Grendel did just that when she quickly got help from Professor Potter, and was not afraid to confront a grown Wizard to help rescue a beloved staff member." He smiled at the blushing and squirming girl.

"Therefore, fifty points will be added to Slytherin's hourglass for Miss Grendel's examplary behavior."

He saw the girl's jaw drop, and her eyes grow wide. Her fellow Slytherins were smiling at her. Even the sixth and seventh years gave her approving nods.

In the stunned silence that rested on the other Houses, applause suddenly started, first at the Hufflepuff table, then Gryffindor and Ravenclaw followed.

Fiona felt like hiding under the table, but when she looked at the Headmaster, she realized that the applause wasn't just for her – the other Houses were slowly accepting Slytherin back as a real part of the school.

**A/N I'm going to be cruel and leave Harry outside Phoebe's door. Also my apologies for the lack of baby Severus in this chapter, but really – he was safely up in Albus's rooms and scenes of violence are no place for a child.**


	16. Chapter 16

Albus sat in his rooms, still a bit stunned. Winky and Dobby had forced him to sit, gave him a cup of tea with calming draught, and then pushed a bottle and Severus in his arms, with the stern order – as close as a house elf could get to ordering, anyway – to calm down and feed the baby.

Severus was drinking quietly, apparently noticing his granddad's mood. Finally the Headmaster sighed deeply and looked down at the little boy in his arms.

"Hello, sweetheart," Albus smiled a bit shakily, "Granddad's acting a bit weird, hmm? While you are being such a good boy."

The baby regarded him solemnly with his beautiful dark eyes, and then paused a moment to return the smile.

"Dada," he said softly, before returning to the task of emptying the bottle.

"Yes, darling, I'm here," Dumbledore cuddled him a bit, "my own little Severus. Granddad was a bit upset because a bad, nasty man tried to hurt Phoebe and Harry."

He sat the baby up once the bottle was finished and waited for the burp. Severus giggled a bit in relief when the air was expelled, laid his head against Albus's shoulder and put his thumb in his mouth, sensing Granddad needed one of his babyhugs.

Albus held him close, kissing the dark head and soft cheeks, before he began to play one of the child's favorite games: pointing out the appendages on his face.

"This is Severus's nose, and this is grandpa's nose," he touched both with his index finger in turn, "and this is Severus's chin, and you can't see grandpa's chin because of the beard."

Severus tried to stand up on his lap, and Albus offered his thumbs. That enabled him to keep a firm grasp on the small hands while Severus tried to maintain his balance. Assisted by Granddad's arms, he climbed from Albus's knees up to his chest, stamping on several sensitive spots on the way, so that Albus finally simply picked him up and held him over his head. Severus squealed in excitement.

Taking both small hands again, Albus put the child on his feet on the floor, letting him take some very unsteady steps until they reached the coffee table. Severus supported himself against the table, slapping his hands on the tabletop while the Headmaster cast a cushioning charm on the floor around him.

"He's a very strong child," he commented to the painting, "Look at him! Standing on his own two feet already. I can't believe that this summer, he was just a tiny baby. I wonder if he was this quick to walk the first time round?"

"He might have been," the portrait said matter-of-factly, "but a broken leg does not entice a tiny tot to start walking."

That comment caused the Headmaster to scoop Severus up in his arms and cuddle him until the little one squirmed in protest.

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"PHOEBE! PHOEBE! Are you alright? Talk to me!"

Harry waited anxiously, until, after what seemed like forever to him, the door slowly opened. He entered to see Phoebe standing nervously in the room, her eyes cast down.

"Phoebs…"

"Harry…"

She looked up. "Harry, I'm so sorry, I should never have dated him, he could have hurt you," she wiped angrily at a tear that ran down her face.

Harry's eyes widened. "I don't care about that, Phoebs, he hurt YOU! You couldn't know he would do that. Are you alright? I was worried sick…"

Suddenly they both stepped closer, wanting to see with their own eyes that the other was alright and ending up standing closer together than they had intended.

"I'm sorry," Harry said, averting his eyes, "I wanted to defend you and just dropped to the floor like a helpless invalid. I'm so sorry."

"But Harry, you SAVED me!" Phoebe practically shouted, "even on the ground you were stronger than he was. I was so glad when I saw you. I'm so ashamed for ever going out with him…I just wanted to make you jealous."

She clapped her hand over her mouth. "I didn't mean to say that!" she whispered.

Harry smiled bitterly. "Oh, I am plenty jealous," he admitted, "but let's face it, Phoebe, I'm a cripple and a has been – I'm not worth you. I just thought I'd support you whoever you wanted to date. I should have warned you, I should…"

Phoebe, who had listened to his rant wide-eyed, interrupted him. "HARRY JAMES POTTER! Not another word! How many times have we been over this the past year? You are not useless, you are a hero! You're my hero…even though you'd never want anyone this ugly…"

Now it was Harry's turn to become indignant. "You're not ugly!"

Suddenly he lost all reservations, and framed Phoebe's face in his hands.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, bending his head to kiss her scar, "I don't know how I would ever have pulled through without you, Phoebs. I…I just realised a while ago…that I like you. No, I don't just like you. I love you, I love you so much."

Phoebe's eyes slowly filled with tears of joy. "You do?" she whispered, "because…because I love you too. I just went out with Zacharias to make you jealous. I'm sorry for being stupid."

The rest of her reply was cut short as Harry's lips found hers, first gently touching, then deepening into their first kiss.

Focused as she was on Harry, she didn't notice the head of a ghostly girl sticking through the wall, grinning like mad.

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Severus sat on the floor, playing with brightly colored blocks. He giggled happily when the tower Granddad had built for him earlier came crashing down when he pushed it.

He crawled to the sofa, and pulled himself up. Granddad was laying with his eyes closed, his glasses askew on his face. Granddad made a funny noise.

Little Severus continued his explorations. Granddad's arm hang from the sofa, his other arm across his stomach. Inside Granddad's sleeve was the pretty stick thing.

Severus reached his pudgy hand and stood on his toes. He managed to pull the stick from the sleeve, but the effort made him fall backwards, fortunately on his well-padded bottom.

His excitement over the stick thing was too much to worry about such trivial matters, and he inspected the wood closely, biting on it with his four teeth, and waving it around. It made sparks as he did so, and he gurgled happily.

The door opened. Harry and Phoebe entered, arms around each other.

Excited, Severus yelled "DA!" and pointed the wand at them to show off his new toy.

A red beam emerged from he wand and flew at Phoebe. Harry quickly grabbed her, and turned them both around so that his back was to the room, Phoebe protected by his body.

He crumpled to the floor.

Severus, terrified by the red beam and Harry falling down, starting to scream. Phoebe checked Harry over, while Dumbledore shot up from the couch.

"Seve- Phoeb- HARRY!"

"Albus, I think he's only Stunned," Phoebe said, "Severus was playing with your wand."

The Headmaster quickly picked up the wand that the scared and wailing child had dropped, and Ennervated Harry.

Seeing her brand new boyfriend come to, Phoebe hurried over to Severus and picked him up, trying to soothe the sobbing boy, whose face was tearstreaked. He held out his arms to Albus, begging to be held.

The Headmaster had paled. "I'm so sorry, Harry, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have fallen asleep, not where he could take my wand…"

Harry, downing a headache potion to counter the effects of being Stunned, shook his head. "It's okay, Albus. Go take Severus from Phoebe, will you? He needs you."

Albus took the child in his arms and started pacing the room, talking softly to him, humming a bit.

"Shhh, my little darling, I know you didn't do that on purpose. You got quite a scare, didn't you? It's alright now, Harry's not hurt, and Grandpa will be MUCH more careful about where he puts his wand from now on."

Severus calmed, burrowing his head in the wide beard and hiccuping a little as his eyes slowly closed in sleep.

Dumbledore sat down in an armchair, holding the baby close.

"I'm just not used to inquisitive infants," he sighed, "I apologise again, Harry…"

"You don't need to, I understand. Hey, at least later he can tell all his classmates that he Stunned Harry Potter when he was not even a year old!"

Albus watched the young people. Harry and Phoebe had always been affectionate, always been very close, but something was off…a bit different. He narrowed his eyes.

"Is there anything you two want to tell me?"

Harry smiled sheepishly while Phoebe blushed.

"Well, you see…" Harry began, before sending Phoebe a helpless plea for assistance.

"Harry said…he came to my room and we talked and…" Phoebe made a valiant effort.

The Headmaster just sat back and enjoyed watching them squirm for a while.

"Oh, Albus," Harry finally sighed, "you know perfectly well what we are trying to say. You told me yourself to go for it."

Phoebe blushed again, deeply.

"Shall I put Severus to bed, Albus?" she offered, but the old man just grinned.

"No, he's fine where he is. He's just sleeping because he cried himself out – it isn't his bedtime yet. I think he'll wake up soon."

He paused. "I'm so very happy for you, children," he continued gently, "I love you both very much and I think you are perfect for each other."

The two on the couch beamed at him.

"We're still taking it slow, we're young yet."

"You already know each other very well," Albus pointed out.

"Which is why there's no need to rush," Harry said, his eyes on Phoebe's face.

Severus stirred and woke up. Upon seeing Harry and Phoebe, he clung to his grandfather, whimpering.

Harry scooted closer.

"It's okay, Junior. No need to be afraid. Come to Uncle Harry, okay?"

Severus slowly let himself be peeled off Dumbledore and Harry cuddled him close.

"I'm very proud of you," he told the baby, "not many little tykes your age can use a wand."

Junior smiled, hesitatingly at first, then a little triumphant as he stole Harry's glasses.

"I guess we're alright again," Harry concluded, retrieving his glasses and wiping off the drool.

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"We have to pay them back."

"For those pranks he pulled."

"And getting involved with that…that…."

"Don't let Mum hear you say something vile!"

"Of course not, Ron. And Snape! Can you believe Harry is running around, caring for SNAPE'S kid of all people?"

"He's supposed to be with you. He's supposed to be my best mate! A best mate doesn't send you a Chudley Cannon's poster that turns your skin orange for a month. It's that girl. She's gotta go."

"Yeah. The girl's gotta go."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N. A miracle! I've updated. Don't worry, as I said before, I do not abandon fics. This one had just been waiting in line while I was working on a whole load of other things.**

**This chapter contains fluff. Loads of it. Be warned.**

**Also, I'd like to recommend the Third Floor Corridor to all of you. The link to it can be found on my profile page. Check it out and join, it's a great site!**

The students in the Great Hall were, by now, used to seeing the Headmaster at the Head Table, accompanied by a small child. Recently, the small child had been moved from the sling rider to a high chair, and made attempts to eat. Most students were amused by the change, because more often than not, either the Headmaster or Professor Potter ended up covered in babyfood.

This morning, however, Professor Potter seemed completely oblivious to anything that wasn't Miss Phoebe. And Miss Phoebe appeared extraordinarily unaware of any of her surroundings except the surrounding named Professor Potter. They talked softly, faces close together, something laughing at a private joke. Suddenly, Professor Potter shyly leaned forward, and with the utmost gentleness kissed Miss Phoebe's lips.

The girls in the room collectively swooned, torn between jealousy and…well, jealousy. The boys were simpler in their reactions. They just whistled and several calls of"Go Professor Potter" were heard.

Severus looked around startled at first, but when he saw the two next to him, he clapped his hands along with the students, and cried "Awy! Awy!"

That day, the record for the reddest face in the Great Hall, previously held by Ronald Weasley, was broken by both Professor Potter AND Miss Phoebe.

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"Awy?" Severus asked, his large dark eyes searching Harry's face, "Dada?"

"Granddad had to run some errants, Junior," Harry told the child, "He'll be back soon. You're going to spend the afternoon with me and Phoebe."

"Eep?" the little boy asked, and when Harry laughed, he repeated the word happily. "EEP! EEP!"

He bounced on Harry's arm. "EEP!"

Phoebe, who had been sitting on the couch in Harry's rooms, looked up from her book when they entered. "Hey, little man," she smiled, "how are you today."

"I'm fine," Harry replied with a smirk, "thank you, dear."

Phoebe stuck out her tongue and reached out to take Severus from him.

"EEP!" Severus cried excitedly, "EEP!"

Seeing Harry look sheepish, Phoebe bit her lip. "You taught him a new word, didn't you, Harry James Potter?"

She cuddled the child. "We are going to have fun today, aren't we? Yes we are! Look what Uncle Harry made you!"

She put the child on the floor near a wooden trainset that Harry had made earlier that day. Severus crawled over immediately and tried it out. The train emitted a whistle whenever he pushed it. The wagons had wooden blocks in them, and he started to play contently, ignoring Harry and Phoebe.

"He prefers wooden blocks over us," Harry complained.

"Until he gets hungry, and you're the one holding the bottle," Phoebe teased.

"Humph," was Harry's undignified response.

"Oh, don't feel bad, sweetheart. You know that if he is scared or feels bad, he will rush back to us," she comforted, running her hand through her new boyfriend's dark hair.

"I like this," she admitted with a shy smile.

Harry snuggled closer to her. "I like this too," he sighed.

Cuddled together on the couch, they were content to simply be together and watch the little boy play.

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"Molly – I know you hoped Harry would one day marry Ginny. But face it, dear, that's not going to happen. We've always said that Harry is like our seventh son, and I feel that we should get to know the woman he loves. Welcome her as we would every daughter-in-law."

The redhaired woman sat down. "I know, Arthur, and I'm not proud of how our youngest children behaved at Christmas, but I thought…"

Her husband sighed. "Molly, I don't think any of us can be very proud of ourselves when it comes to Harry. We let him down. We should accept that he loves someone else, someone who, as far as I have heard, is very worthy of him."

He took his wife's hand in his own. "I've invited Harry and Phoebe over for lunch tomorrow. They will be bringing Albus and little Severus along."

"Tomorrow?" Mrs Weasley's head shot up. "Why haven't you told me that before, Arthur? Oh, I have to decide on what to eat…a nice hot lunch. Soup, I think, a nice roast…stop LAUGHING, Arthur, and help me get everything ready!"

Fortunately, by the time her visitors arrived the next day, Molly's lunch was perfect. Harry and Phoebe stepped through the Floo, smiling at Arthur who was waiting for them. Albus followed with Severus on his arm. Arthur, who had occasionally visited Harry at Hogwarts, smiled at the child. The baby gave him a wide grin in return.

"Welcome. I do hope you are hungry, Molly's gone overboard with her cooking as usual," the Weasley patriarch led them into the kitchen.

"Arthur Weasley, you have never complained about my cooking before," his wife bustled about, setting the table, "hello, Harry dear."

She kissed his cheek. "And this must be Phoebe." The young woman, with the scar on her face that, as Arthur had told her, came from bravely defending her family, instantly triggered Molly's mother instincts.

"Come, sit down, dear, and have a drink. Oh, Albus, you brought the little one! Good, I've made some babyfood especially for him. Charlie and Percy loved this when they were his age…"

Severus stared at the woman, who he hadn't seen since he was five months old. Her frantic running about intimidated him until Arthur, who saw he was about to cry, took him from the Headmaster and played games with him.

"The twins are already here, digging up some of their old things in the garage," Molly informed them, "Ron and Ginny will be home soon."

When the four redheads entered almost at the same time, Severus started to pout and reached for his Granddad. Dumbledore held him close and kissed the dark hair.

The twins greeted the guests, patting Harry's shoulder and bowing deeply to kiss Phoebe's hand, which made her giggle. Ron and Ginny smiled warmly, apologised to Harry for the last time they saw each other, and even spared a smile for Severus, who hid his head in Dumbledore's beard.

The twins soon succeeded in drawing him out, showing him their Mini-Filibusters – "Fireworks for the Dinner Table," said George – and throwing a small glass bead to the floor which broke and materialised into a stuffed Phoenix. Fred gave it to Severus, who happily hugged it.

"Can we…"

"hold him?" the twins asked Dumbledore.

The Headmaster's eyes twinkled. "No corrupting him with your pranks!" he warned.

"US? Headmaster, we are hurt…"

"that you would deem us capable of corrupting such an innocent young soul."

Fred held out his hands to Severus, and the child let himself be taken from Albus's lap. He studied Fred's face and pointed at the Phoenix.

"What are you going to call it, little one?" Fred asked.

Severus played with the soft feathers, before sticking his thumb in his mouth. "Eep," he said softly.

"Eep?" Fred asked.

"Eep the Phoenix it is, then," George decided, seeing Harry nearly slide under the table to avoid Phoebe's glare.

Ron and Ginny exchanged dark looks.

"So, Phoebe," Ginny started in a friendly voice, "how do you like Hogwarts?"

"Oh, it is wonderful," Phoebe replied, "I had to get used to it's size, but I never tire of it. Of course, I'm happy Harry teaches at Hogwarts – I couldn't imagine a long-distance relationship."

Arthur beamed at them, even though he kept half an eye on his youngest son and daughter. Fred and George did a happy dance with Severus, who clapped his hands and laughed. Molly ruffled Harry's hair.

"I'm glad you two are happy," she decided in that moment to mollycoddle Phoebe as much as she tried to do to Harry.

The mood was happy and light when they started their meal, for which Harry was grateful. The introduction of Phoebe to the Weasley family had been a success, he thought as he dug into Molly's excellent cooking.

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"We're too late! They're dating already. Ron, we have to do something. Harry's mine."

"And that horrible Snape brat that everyone is doting on! What woman would ever have – oh, I don't even want to think about it."

His sister suddenly smirked. "I think I have a plan. Listen…"


	18. Chapter 18

Minerva sat on the couch in Dumbledore's rooms. She stoically endured Severus's clumsy fingers tangling in her hair a bit – he meant well. She reached out and touched his little nose with her own, making him giggle. When he pulled her tail, however, she gave him a soft swat on his hand with a velveted paw. Seeing his lower lip tremble, she turned into her human form and picked him up.

"I'm not angry with you, sweetheart," she soothed him, "but you mustn't pull a cat's tail."

Severus stuck his finger in his mouth and rested his head against her shoulder. She smiled, and then sniffed.

"Albus!"

"Yes, Minerva?" the Headmaster replied from his study.

"Your grandson needs a clean diaper."

"In his room, top shelf of the closet, with the wipes."

"But…ALBUS!"

"Yes, Minerva?"

"Surely you do not suggest that I change him?"

"Why ever not?"

The Deputy Headmistress blushed. "I've never changed a baby before, Albus. And – well. It's just, just strange."

Dumbledore emerged, his eyes twinkling. "About time you learn, then. Come with me."

He took the child in his arms and wrinkled his nose. "Yuck. You need a bath, young one."

Minerva watched with a smile as Albus ran a babybath. The bath levitated at a convenient height. He then undressed the infant, discarded the dirty clothes and nappy with a flick of his wand, and after cleaning the child up he lowered him into the water.

"Dadadaaaaa mummmbrrrrrr," Severus babbled happily, splashing his yellow duck on the water.

Albus devoted all his attention to the boy, washing him gently and talking to him in a playful, soft voice. It was obvious that the old man loved the child dearly, and the little boy from time to time looked up at his grandfather with a wide smile and happy eyes, completely content and secure in Dumbledore's affectionate care.

After he was lifted from the bath, Minerva no longer watched with a smile. Instead she sported a huge grin as Albus tried to wrestle a quick and agile baby into his clothes. At long last Severus was deposited, clean and smelling of babypowder, into her arms.

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The Easter holidays were a welcome break in the normal schedule.

"Weird," Harry commented to Albus and Phoebe, "Nearly the end of the year, and no one attempting to kill me. That's a first."

Albus couldn't help but blush a bit at that statement. "I could've kept you safer," he confessed.

"You were preparing me," Harry sneered goodnaturedly, "by not removing every obstacle from my path."

"Yes, that was my reasoning at the time," Albus admitted, "but if anyone would allow Severus to be subjected to that at eleven years of age, I'd send them so many Howlers that they would permanently lose their hearing."

Harry grinned. "If Severus did the things I got up to in my time here…"

"He'd be grounded until he was old and grey," Albus nodded.

Phoebe smiled, cuddling the little boy who was sitting on her lap, playing with a magical children's book. It showed a cauldron and pictures of ingredients. Each time a finger was pressed to an ingredient, it was added to the cauldron. Reactions occured like they would in real life.

"BOOOOMMMMM!!!" Severus bounced up and down on his bottom when the cauldron in the picture exploded after he had pressed his finger to the wrong ingredient to be added next.

"I swear, I must take a picture of this and take it to Neville," Harry muttered.

Albus grinned. "Oh yes, you are going to visit him, aren't you?"

"Yes, that was our plan," Phoebe said, "I'd love to meet him. And I'm looking forward to a few days where I don't have to share Harry with adoring students," she teased, kissing him lightly over Severus's head.

The sound of their kiss was drowned in the sound of a bubbling cauldron melting.

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"Albus?" Green flames lighted in the fireplace.

"Yes, Arthur?" Dumbledore answered his Floo call. It was mid- morning and while there was the usual pile of paperwork on his desk, he didn't feel like working at all.

"Molly and I would like to invite you and little Severus to spend the day with us, if you are not otherwise engaged, of course."

The Headmaster's eyes twinkled. "I would love to, Arthur, and I think Severus will enjoy himself too. Let me get his diaper bag, and we'll step through."

Fifteen minutes later, Arthur took a happy pre-toddler from Dumbledore.

"Thank you for your invitation, Molly," Albus said, kissing her on the cheek.

"You're welcome, Albus," she blushed a bit, "anyway, I always enjoy feeding up the little ones. Hello, sweetheart."

Severus, who had been standing up, holding on to Arthur's robes, wobbled over to her, holding Arthur's robes with one hand until he got a good grasp on Molly's.

"Oh, he's walking already! Wait, I have just the thing for him…"

The witch rushed upstairs and came back with a colored wooden device.

"It's a magical walker," she explained, "it's designed to remain stable, has cushioning charms and all sorts of playthings, and a simple tap of a wand limits how far he can go. Here, darling, try it."

Severus looked up at Albus.

"Go ahead, sweetheart, try it," the old man encouraged him.

Emboldened by his Granddad's permission, Severus put his hands on the walker and took a careful step. The walker began to play a children's song and a path of little footsteps formed in front of Severus. He giggled and took another step, trying to follow the footsteps.

The adults stood watching him for a while until they were sure he would be fine by himself.

"He can't go far," Molly assured the Headmaster, "that's the beauty of it. I also put up an ageline that he can only cross with an adult. It worked like – well, like a charm when our boys were little."

"I'm glad you are reacting so well to him," Dumbledore admitted.

The two shared a glance. "Albus, Harry told us that he is Severus's son, but something tells us that is not quite right. It's none of our business, of course…"

Albus sighed. "Promise me you'll keep it quiet."

"Of course," Arthur said, "nothing you say will leave this kitchen."

"I'm glad. See – Most of the staff knows, but no one else. It's better that way. It will be hard enough to explain to Severus later. See, Severus didn't die. He came to me nearly a year ago, begging for help. He wanted to be de-aged so he could start over again. He actually told me to put him in an orphanage somewhere…"

Molly gasped in shock. Dumbledore nodded with a smile. "Of course I wouldn't allow that. I finally agreed to help him if he would let me raise him. That is, in short, the story of how I got a grandson. That boy – he's not Severus's son. He IS Severus."

Arthur looked at Severus, who had toddled back and was now sitting on the floor, playing with the toys on the walker.

"I had a suspicion it might be something like that," he frowned a bit, "Severus never gave any indication of a wife and child. I know he was a very private person, but someone should have known. I can see why he wanted this way out."

Molly picked up the small boy with tears in her eyes and held him, covering his face with kisses. Severus appreciated it, but after a short while he got a bit impatient. First she gave him a great toy to play with and then she wanted to cuddle? How could she expect him to like that? He wriggled and protested, wanting to return to his playing. Arthur took him from his wife's arms and gave him a quick kiss on his head before returning him to the floor.

"He was never happy, was he?" Molly asked, her voice trembling a bit, "was there any period in his life when he was loved and cared for? Before now?"

Bowing his head in shame, Dumbledore had no choice but to deny that. "No, he wasn't. He had a very unhappy childhood, and I am ashamed to say I added to his burden. I'm determined to make it up to him now. To love him and protect him as I should have done all along. Anyone messing with my child now had better run!"

The old man suddenly looked so imposing and powerful that Arthur and Molly stepped back in awe and Severus gave a small whimper. Immediately Dumbledore lifted his grandson in his arms, not losing one ounce of power.

"Granddad will protect you, Severus," he assured the little boy, "no one will hurt you and get away with it anymore, I promise."

Severus leaned his dark head against Dumbledore's shoulder for a moment. The Headmaster calmed down.

"Would you like a drink and a biscuit, Severus?" he asked the toddler, putting him back on the floor.

After giving Severus his snack, they returned to their talk.

"Harry and Phoebe are so happy," Molly gushed, "They will make such a lovely couple. Mr and Mrs Potter, doesn't that sound good?"

The men laughed. "They're young yet, Molly, give them time."

"Hmph," Molly corrected Arthur, "When we were their age, we were married, Bill was almost a year old and Charlie was on his way."

"Harry has gone through enough," Dumbledore stared in the distance, "I think he and Phoebe are right to take things slowly and enjoy their youth before taking on the responsibility of a family. There's plenty of time for that."

After a while, Molly prepared some lunch for them while the men played a game of chess. Severus pulled himself up on her robes again to watch what she was doing. With a well-practiced motion, she settled him on her hip while continuing her work with one hand. Having never seen cooking with magic, the boy watched wide-eyed as bread sliced itself, soup was stirred by a self-stirring spoon, and fruit was cut up automatically.

"DA!" he called to Dumbledore.

"Yes, I see it, darling. Molly does some great cooking doesn't she?"

Severus turned back and watched as sandwiches started to assemble themselves. A chair from the kitchen table was transformed into a high chair and Severus settled into it. He got a plate with a sandwich cut up in small pieces which he happily started to devour. Dumbledore fed him some soup.

"He loves soup, but it's so messy," the Headmaster lamented as the broth dribbled down the child's chin and unto his clothes.

Molly Scourgified the baby, the chair and the floor without so much as looking up. Arthur took over feeding Severus so Dumbledore could eat his own lunch.

"He needs to sleep," Albus said hesitatingly.

"I put up a cot in Percy's old room," Molly informed him, "you can put him for a nap there. Arthur Transfigured a teddybear for him – said a boy his age needs one."

The Weasley patriarch blushed a bit.

"Thank you," the Headmaster waited until lunch was over and Molly had cleared the table with a few deft flicks of her wand. Then he changed Severus into his pyjamas.

"Say bye to Uncle Arthur and Aunt Molly, my boy. You'll see them when you wake up."

Severus lifted his little hand and clumsily wiggled his fingers.

"Baah," he said, nestling against Dumbledore.

"Oh, the little darling," Molly looked ready to cuddle the baby, Headmaster and all. Albus thought it prudent to relocate Severus to his crib.

The soft teddybear that Arthur transfigured immediately caught Severus's attention and he hugged it while Albus tucked him under the blankets.

"Sleep well, child," Dumbledore whispered. He stayed for a little while to make sure the baby went to sleep before going back to the kitchen.

They spent a pleasant afternoon reminiscing, and trying to figure out the Muggle World Wide Web, something Harry had alerted them to.

After a few hours, Dumbledore went upstairs to get Severus. Entering the room, he thought his heart stopped.

The crib was empty.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Yes, yes, I'm making you all wait far too long for updates. Sorry.**

Neville Longbottom opened the door of his home to his friend.

"Harry!"

"Neville," Harry smiled brightly, clasping his friend's hand, "how are you? This is a nice place you've got here."

Neville beamed brightly. "Yes, isn't it?"

He delightedly shook hands with Phoebe and proceeded to show off his new place. It was very nice. A spacious house, not overly big, surrounded by gardens and greenhouses.

"I did an internship with a herbologist who sells to apothecaries on the mainland," the young gardener told them proudly, "and I decided to do the same here. St. Mungo's and several Potions Masters buy their supplies from me. Business is booming already. I've managed to grow some plants that were long thought extinct."

"That's wonderful, Nev. But I thought you would remain at Longbottom Manor?"

Neville shook his head. "I love my Gran, but it's better that we don't see each other too often. She has very set ideas on what I should do with my life. A year after I turned seventeen I received my parent's inheritance because they are incapacitated. I've moved them from St. Mungo's to a nice cottage, with round the clock care. They are still insane, but I have the distinct impression that they are much happier now."

They were led to a nice room with large windows, overlooking the blossoming garden.

"So, tell me everything. How's teaching?"

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"SEVERUS! SEVERUS!!"

Dumbledore rushed around the Burrow, screaming his son's name at the top of his lungs. Downstairs, Arthur and Molly got the fright of their lives and ran up the stairs to help.

"He's gone! He's not here," a frantic Dumbledore nearly babbled, "My son…"

"Calm, Albus, he can't have gotten past the age-line," Arthur reassured him, "I'll take this floor. Molly, you search upstairs. Albus, go see if you can use a spell to locate him."

Fifteen minutes later, they had found no infant, and Albus was approaching nervous breakdown rapidly.

Arthur shook his head in despair. "It's hardly possible, but he's not here – and he can't have crossed the age-lines on his own. That leaves only one conclusion. Someone kidnapped him, unbelievable as it may be."

Molly had tears streaming down her face. "Who? And why? How could anyone just have entered without us noticing? We'd have heard the Floo."

"I don't know, Molly," Arthur sighed, "I just don't know."

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"GAAAAHHHHH!!!"

Phoebe came rushing through the hall of the hotel they were staying in.

"Harry, Harry, what's wrong, are you alright?" she asked in concern.

Her boyfriend looked up at her from the floor, pale and angry.

"No. Pain. Can't stand. Forgot braces."

"You forgot your braces?" Phoebe said sternly, "Forgot?"

"Oh alright, I didn't think I'd need them," Harry snarled, his face going nearly gray with exhaustion.

"We took a long trip to go siteseeing, we were up and about most of the day, and you didn't think you'd need them? Where are they?"

"Hogwarts," Harry muttered, his eyes fluttering close.

"Great," Phoebe levitated his sleeping form onto the bed, "Sleep, and when you wake up, we're going to Hogwarts to get your braces."

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"I just needed rest. I can do without them," Harry argued, as they walked the halls of Hogwarts the next morning.

"No, you can't." Phoebe entered his rooms, grabbed his braces and put them on him – Winky had taught her the trick.

"While we're here, I might as well pick up some clean things from my room, and then we'll go back."

Harry grumbled a bit, but gratefully took a few steps. It was much easier now, and soon he smiled a bit at Phoebe. "Sorry for being such a pain, Phoebs."

"That's okay," she gently kissed his lips, "I know you hate it."

Hand in hand they walked to Phoebe's rooms. When they entered, Phoebe gasped.

The room was a complete mess. Furniture was overturned, closets opened and the contents spilled over the floor. Flowers ripped from their vases. A portrait in the living room had been taken from the wall and trampled. It's inhabitant peeked around the corner, apparently trying to determine if it was safe again to approach.

"What on earth…" Harry started.

"What did they WANT?" Phoebe asked in tears, "nothing's even taken, just damaged. My jewelry and all are still here."

"I don't know, but we are going to find out," Harry picked up the portrait.

"Is he gone?" the portrait asked fearfully.

"Who?" Harry asked.

"That man! Went crazy in here. Ripped me from the wall, he did!" the portrait wailed, "no decent person would do something like this. But that redhaired man – horror – DEMON just kept on going, so angry."

"What was he looking for?" Phoebe asked, clutching a torn book to her chest.

"Why, my dear lady, I believe he was looking for YOU."

Harry shuddered. "Thank Merlin we weren't here. It's bad, Phoebs, but imagine if you had been here, alone…"

Then his eyes widened. "Did you say 'redhaired'?"

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Minerva was running through the corridors, a very unusual thing for her to do unless in catform. Which she wasn't right now – she was far too upset.

Rounding the corner to Albus's office, she bumped into someone she had not expected.

"Phoebe! Harry! What are you doing here?"

"We came to pick up some things," Harry replied, "and discovered that Phoebe's room has been broken into. Professor! What's wrong? You look very upset!"

"Oh, Harry, it's terrible," the witch sniffed, "Arthur Weasley called from the Burrow. Albus had gone to spend the day there, and now Severus is missing! Stolen from his crib, by all accounts."

"What? Someone stole him from the Headmaster's office?" Phoebe nearly screamed.

"No – from the Burrow. Albus had taken him along. Oh, I don't know what to do, the poor child, and poor Albus…"

Harry's eyes went dull.

"I – Minerva, I'll Floo to the Burrow. I think – I hope not, but…Oh…."

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Molly had forced a glass of Firewhiskey into the Headmaster's hand when the Floo fired. Arthur had gone to the Goblins, to enlist their help in finding out if the wards had been breached.

"My boy, my child," the Headmaster muttered, "Severus…I can't lose him, not again, not now!"

Molly looked helplessly at the two new arrivals – Harry and Phoebe. Carrying a wrapped up package.

"Molly, can you call Arthur?" Harry asked without wasting time, "I fear I have bad news."

Soon all five were seated around the table.

"Phoebe's room at Hogwarts was destroyed," he began, "nothing was taken. We believe it was an act of vengeance. Because she wasn't there."

He unwrapped the package to reveal a damaged portrait.

"Tell them what you told me."

The portrait glanced at it's audience, peeking over the edge of the frame.

"A redheaded young man, he came in, wand at the ready. When I moved, he reacted on instinct and shot a Stunner at me – it didn't hurt me, of course, but it did knock me off the wall. He ranted and raged for a long time, destroying things. He was after Miss Phoebe," he nodded towards the witch.

"Molly, Arthur," Harry hesitated, "Can all of your children….are they all keyed into the wards?"

Molly nodded, not understanding, but Arthur went gray.

"No! No, that's not true. It can't be!"

"Is there a way of knowing for sure?" Phoebe asked gently.

"The wards – the Goblins need to find out…."

"The Age-line, Arthur," Molly suddenly said, "how stupid that we didn't think of that. Remember the spell to show who crossed it?"

Arthur's hand trembled as he pointed his wand at the ageline.

The line growed bright orange as he finished the incantation, then turned green. Arthur stared in shock. Molly dropped unto her chair and began sobbing.

"What is it?" Albus asked, numb from shock.

"Harry, oh Harry," Molly cried, "He wouldn't, please tell me he wouldn't!"

"I'm afraid so, Molly," Harry said, "I'm sorry, Arthur. Ron and Ginny are the only ones besides you three who crossed the Ageline. They can also easily enter Hogwarts. I'm so sorry, but it looks like Ron and Ginny have taken Severus, and tried to take Phoebe."

"Why?" Arthur demanded coldly, "Why would my children do something like that?"

Harry licked his dry lips. "Arthur, Ron hated Snape. Deeper than anyone knew. When he saw Severus – you know how he reacted. Ginny wanted me, she always has. I can only assume that they had some sort of plan by kidnapping both of them."

A deathly silence descended upon the kitchen, interrupted only by Molly's helpless sobbing. Finally Arthur looked up, withdrawn and smaller looking than Harry ever saw him.

"I thought we raised them well," he said, defeated, "I thought we taught them – there must be a reason. I can't imagine my children hurting an infant."

"I can't imagine our children kidnapping either," Molly suddenly said, sitting up straight, "When I get my hands on the two of them…"

Albus slowly stood up. "It's not your fault," he managed, "you did nothing wrong. I – just want Severus back."

"It may prove difficult," Harry bit his lip, "we know more or less what happened now, but we still don't know WHERE they are."

Seeing Dumbledore's face, he quickly added, "But find them we will. One way or another."


	20. Chapter 20

Ginny sighed as she looked at the small boy that was curled up in a corner of the room, apparently asleep. He had cried a lot, and his small face was dirty with tears and mud.

She looked around. Ron and she used this as a 'hiding place' when they were children and staying with a relative. The hidden basement under the ruined building had seemed huge when she was young. Now it was just a cramped, dirty room. Hopefully they wouldn't have to stay long.

The child whimpered, turning his head. Ginny frowned when she saw the red handprint on his face. Ron had gone too far, he had better not touch the child anymore. She didn't care for the infant. He was a means to her end, but a child that small did not deserve to be slapped.

_Ron and Ginny had been watching the house since early morning. Ever since their father mentioned that he planned on inviting Dumbledore and Snape's brat over, they kept an eye out for them, knowing it would be their best chance of getting the child._

_Dumbledore arrived, but the adults hadn't left the child alone._

"_Age lines," Ginny whispered, "like Mum used to set for us. She does them when Bill and Fleur come over, too, she's bound to have set some."_

_Finally, they saw the child being brought upstairs and the adults in the kitchen._

"_Good," Ginny quickly cast silencing charms on both herself and her brother, "don't do anything stupid – like tripping or dropping something."_

_Finding the child was easy. The wards were keyed in to them, of course, and the age line was no problem either. The boy was fast asleep in his crib._

"_Silence him and levitate him out."_

_The boy woke up and started crying, his eyes wide and fearful, but he couldn't be heard. They made their way from the house as quickly as they could, and Apparated._

_Once in the hide-out, Ginny cancelled the spells. The baby wailed pitifully. _

"_Shut up, brat," Ron growled._

"_Oh, just Silence him again, Ron," Ginny dismissed the crying._

_Ron, however, stalked towards the boy and grabbed him by the arm. The child stopped crying instantly and stared at him in obvious fright._

"_Ron!" Ginny got annoyed, "what are you doing? Leave it alone."_

"_It's Snape's brat," Ron said angrily, "The man who made our lives, and Harry's life miserable because he had some issues with his parents. Why should't I teach his – offspring a lesson? He did the same to us."_

"_Because that would make you no better than Snape and we have other things to do than wasting time on him? Just put him in a corner, give him a blanket and a toy and he'll be no trouble."_

_Ron shrugged and roughly pushed the child in a corner, flinging the blanket he was levitated with towards him._

"_Time for phase two. Are you ready?"_

"_Sure," the male redhead nodded, still glaring at the child, "she's a girl. How hard can it be? I've heard she couldn't even take on Smith, and he isn't half the wizard I am."_

"_Just don't get overconfident," Ginny begged her brother, "be careful."_

"_Of course. How long do you reckon we'll be here?"_

"_Couple of days, I think. As soon as they realize that both that…GIRL and the brat are missing, they'll think she kidnapped him. After a few days, when they've reached that conclusion, we come to the 'rescue' and modify her memory to fit our story."_

"_You found the spell, then."_

_Ginny rolled her eyes. "It took a lot of patience and a lot of sucking up, but I got the secret out of Lockhart. He probably doesn't even remember he told me."_

_Ron smirked. "The only thing that rotten wand was ever good for after it broke."_

_Severus's lip trembled. "Dada," he said sadly._

"_Shut up," Ron hissed._

"_D-Da…dada…"_

_Ron stalked over, raised his hand and slapped the soft babycheek, leaving red fingerprints on the small face._

"_RON!" Ginny shouted when Severus crawled into a corner, crying, "Look what you did! He has to be in good condition when we bring him back, not terrified of us!"_

"_We'll just say she did it," Ron growled, "Snape. Can't you see, Gin? He looks like the git, he'll be another disaster like that hideous bat."_

"_Oh come off it, Ron. You're obsessed. Just go now."_

Ron should be back soon. She just hoped that the stupid cow that Harry thought he was in love with would keep the child quiet.

How dared Harry fall in love with someone else? She must've done something. Harry loved HER, not some witch he met in hospital!

As she was dreaming happily of a future with Harry, Ron entered, looking upset and angry.

"She wasn't there," he muttered, "nowhere to be found. Apparently she's…"

He hesitated. His sister could be awfully possessive when it came to Harry, and telling her what he'd heard would likely set her off.

"She's where?" Ginny demanded.

"She's on holiday with Harry," Ron made sure to get some distance between them, "they've been gone for a day or two now."

"What? I'd never thought she'd show that ugly face of hers outside the castle." Ginny paced the room, "what now? It's too late now – they'll be able to verify that she was with Harry when we took the kid. And they'll be looking for him, now, too," she said with a jerk of her head in the general direction of the corner.

"We'll have to bring him back," Ron said, "if we dump him back off on Mum's doorstep…"

"Are you crazy? We'll be seen! They're probably using the Burrow as their base to search from."

"Where then? We could leave him at Hogwarts. With a little luck, he'll crawl into the Forbidden Forest and be eaten. Or trampled by the centaurs."

"Sure – and how are we going to leave him unseen?"

Her brother huffed in annoyance. "If you have a better idea you can just say so."

The youngest Weasley tapped her lip. "I've got it! Fred and George. We'll leave him on their doorstep. It's in Diagon Alley, so it could just be a coincidence, and we won't set off any of their wards either."

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Dumbledore had eventually been put to bed in the middle of the night by Harry, who hit him with a spell from behind. The old wizard was frantic with worry, so much that they all feared he might do himself an injury if there was no good news soon.

The others stayed up, drinking Molly's excellent coffee and going over all the places they thought the youngest Weasley siblings could be. Phoebe had fallen asleep with her head on Harry's shoulder for half an hour, but she jerked awake from a nightmare.

"Severus!"

Harry held her when she realized it hadn't been just a bad dream.

Morning dawned. Dumbledore rushed downstairs just before the first rays of sunshine hit the yard, glaring at them.

After a very early breakfast of some toast and eggs, they prepared for another day of searching.

"Mother?" The voice of a twin called from the Floo, "Mum? Dad?"

"George, darling, it's really not a good time to – why are you calling us at five-thirty in the morning? Are you alright?" Molly panicked when she realized the time.

"No, Mum, we're fine. Is the Headmaster there?"

"Yes, he is, George…"

"Mum, I'm going to step through."

Moments later, George stepped into the room. The room fell silent when they saw him. Cradled against his chest, wrapped up so warmly in a blanket that only a tuft of black hair was visible, a small boy slept fitfully.

Dumbledore felt dizzy. He stumbled and fell down on a chair, taking in the sight.

"S-Severus?" he whispered.

"Cleaned up and in one piece," George whispered, "but very, very skittish."

He very gently delivered the bundle into the Headmaster's outstretched arms. The old man felt tears run down his cheeks as he stared at the sleeping face.

"What happened, George?" Arthur asked, directing his son to another chair.

George sighed.

"I'm sorry, Mum," his eyes were full of pain and sadness as he reached out a hand to take his mother's, "I'm sorry. You – you aren't going to like what I have to tell you…"

"Ron? Ginny?" Molly whispered, begging her son to deny it, begging him to tell her that her children had nothing to do with kidnapping an innocent baby.

"I'm sorry, Mum," George leaned his head against his mother's arm in an uncharacteristic gesture of grief, "they did."

Arthur closed his eyes, his hands clenched. Molly clutched her apron, trying not to cry.

"Fred has them at the store," George sighed, "they had to get rid of Severus when Ron failed to kidnap Phoebe. They tried to leave him on our doorstep, but triggered our wards – they must have thought they were still keyed in to them. Long story short, we caught them and got the whole story out of them. Seems it was Ginny's plan to get back Harry."

Harry went pale.

"It's not your fault, mate. She's obsessed with you. She wanted to get rid of Phoebe, and decided to use Severus. She planned to kidnap both of them, and make it look like Phoebe took the baby. Then after a few days, they would 'rescue' them. Modify Phoebe's memory, you would reject her for doing something so low and Ginny would be readily available as the loyal friend."

"But Ron?" Harry asked.

"Snape," George admitted, "Ron wanted revenge on Snape by hurting his son. He – we cleaned Severus up first, Albus, and we found bruises on him. He's fine, it's not too bad, but Ron has hit him and mistreated him. That's why he's so frightened. We had to give him a bath too, he was filthy and his nappy was long overdue for a change."

The baby woke up with a cry, frightened black eyes searching the room.

Dumbledore rocked him gently. "It's alright, my baby boy, you're home safely with Granddad. Shhhhh, my darling, shhhh."

Severus looked up. "DADA!" he sobbed, and flung his small arms around Dumbledore's neck as far as they would go. He cried like he had never cried before. Dumbledore rocked him and whispered soothingly to him, rubbing gentle circles on the small back.

The blankets fell back to reveal bruises on a small arm and red marks still on the face. Slowly, very slowly, Severus calmed, but he clung to Albus and wouldn't let go.

"He's probably hungry too, we had nothing to feed him," George said apologetically.

The Headmaster smiled at him. "I'm very grateful to you and your twin, George, you did everything you could. I happen to know you closed the shop yesterday to help the search."

George blushed at the praise, but slowly bent down and stroked the small, wet cheek of the child. Severus allowed it, merely leaning into his grandfather a bit more.

"I'll make him a bottle," Molly said, still crying.

"I'll do that, Mrs Weasley," Phoebe said softly, leading the woman to a chair, "Please – we know this is hard on you. They are your children, after all."

Molly burst into tears again. "Where did we go wrong?" she asked desperately, "we didn't teach them to be like that! I thought we raised better children. That poor child! How could Ron – oh, when I get my hands on them…"

Dumbledore took a bottle from Phoebe and gently coaxed Severus into taking it. It took some effort, as the child was upset and clingy, but eventually hunger won out. Severus closed his eyes and began to suckle, his tiny fist in his granddad's beard and the other hand holding Dumbledore's thumb.

"I don't care," Albus said, "You decide what happens to them – I just don't want them near Severus ever again. Or near me, because I can't guarantee that they won't be hurt. I just want to go back home and take care of my grandson."

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Two hours later, Albus sat in a comfortable chair with the sleeping baby in his arms. Minerva entered, relieved. She chuckled a bit.

"Not ready to let him go yet, Albus?" she asked in sympathy.

"No," Dumbledore admitted, "I think it will be a while before I let him out of my sight again. I'll end up as paranoid as Alastor. Are Harry and Phoebe back?"

"They are," his Deputy confirmed, "they'll tell you what exactly happened themselves, but suffices to say that Mr and Miss Weasley are going to be very sorry young people indeed. For Molly and Arthur's sake there will be no official charges, with your consent, but one of Arthur's cousins runs a program for young criminal wizards in the States. They are under constant supervision. They will be working, getting therapy and are prohibited from using magic unless supervised, and then only with a training wand. Arthur contacted them, and they will be Porting over tomorrow. Their stay will likely be between two and three years."

Albus sighed. "Good. I have no intention of ruining their future forever, nor do I want to subject Molly, Arthur and the twins to any harassment that would undoubtedly follow a conviction, but I'm glad they'll be far away from my child. It'll be a very long time before I can forgive them for this."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N I'm sorry! Don't hurt me! I know it's been ages since I last updated.**

Harry and Phoebe came back a few days later, and dropped onto the couch in Dumbledore's rooms exhaustedly. Severus, who had been sitting on Dumbledore's lap being read to, pouted when the door opened and large tears formed in his eyes.

"What is it, sweetie?" Phoebe softly said, "are you still so scared?"

"He is,"Albus confirmed, "and Poppy said he'll be clinging to me for a while and will probably only be comfortable with us because he knows us best. She advised me to slowly re-introduce the others."

He kissed the dark head. "You'll be fine, won't you, sweetheart?"

Severus smiled and clambered off Albus's lap. He toddled over to Phoebe, who caught him and engulfed him in a hug.

"I'm so happy you're alright," she covered the small face in kisses. Suddenly she realized something. "You WALKED!"

For a moment the world seemed to stop. Then Harry began to grin and Dumbledore's eyes twinkled brightly for the first time in days. Harry took Severus out of Phoebe's arms and threw him in the air, catching him again. Severus squealed happily.

"Who's our big boy?" Harry held him over his head, "who's our big walking boy?"

"AWY, AWY," Severus shrieked, drooling all over the History professor.

Dumbledore sighed in contentment. "That's the first time he laughed since…you know."

Harry handed Severus back to Phoebe and sat down a bit depressed.

"I'm sorry, Albus. Arthur and I escorted them to the States. It wasn't pretty."

"You were such good friends at school," the Headmaster mused.

"Most of the time, anyway," Harry absentmindedly released a toy snitch for Severus to catch, "The jealousy was always in them, I guess, but it got worse and brought out the worst in them. Maybe if I hadn't stubbornly refused to contact them…"

Phoebe smacked him lightly. "Their choices, their fault, Harry," she scolded, "they had issues with you and me, not with Severus. They chose to kidnap an innocent baby when they could simply have come by to talk to us, even if it was just to argue."

Albus nodded in agreement. "It's true, my boy. They could have reacted in many different ways. I am very angry with them, but I very much regret that you lost your friends."

Harry shrugged. "I gained a lot too. Phoebe, and you…my students. And Severus," he added, "who'd have thought I'd learn to love him?"

His eye fell on an album on the table.

"What's that, Albus?"

The old wizard handed it to him. "My picture album. I made it in the interbellum, when Severus was teaching here and we grew closer."

He lovingly stroked the spine. "His portrait stopped moving. I noticed it yesterday. I don't even know exactly when it happened."

With a sad frown, he shook his head. "So many wasted years," he muttered, "In many ways, his de-aging provides _me_ with a second chance as well. To gain new memories, of a happier boy."

Severus's unsteady legs brought him to his Granddad's knee. "Dada?" he asked, holding out his arms. Dumbledore obliged, picking him up for a cuddle. Severus proceeded to tie knots in the long beard.

"Fiona is coming over to play this afternoon," the Headmaster freed the white mass from the child's fists, "I explained to her Severus might be frightened, but if it's just the two of them playing, it should be alright. I want to invite her to Severus's birthday party next month."

"Eph," said Severus, recognizing his name.

Then he bounced up and down on Albus's lap and pointed to the floor. The ancient mugwump blushed fiercely.

"What does he want, Albus?" Phoebe asked curiously.

"Hewansplayor," Dumbledore muttered.

"He what?"

With a deep sigh, the eldest professor gave in. "He wants to play horsey," he admitted, as he lowered himself to his knees, carefully put his grandson on his back and held him with one arm while crawling around the room on his hands…well, hand and knees. Severus clearly loved the game, kicking his little feet in an attempt to urge his 'horse' to go faster.

The two young staffmembers couldn't help it. They collapsed in helpless laughter at the sight, unable to respond to the glares that the Headhorse sent their way.

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While it took some time for Severus to heal, Dumbledore was pleased that he seemed to easily overcome his shyness.

The Twins had visited fairly soon and Severus, after an initial bad reaction to their red hair, apparently remembered that they were the ones that had delivered him from his ordeal. Of course, Fred and George had such a different temperament that any likeness between them and their younger siblings was in looks only. Albus invited them to Severus's birthday party, and they promised to supply some party-goods. Safe ones.

"He should be around children his age more," the old wizard mused while signing some documents that Phoebe had brought by, "he's always surrounded by adults. The students, even Fiona, are still at least ten years his seniors. That's going to be one of my projects for next year, finding him playmates."

Phoebe sent the old man an affectionate glance. "You do that. Would you like me to check with the Ministry to see if there are wizarding families with children his age? Or maybe some of the Muggleborn students have younger relatives. It would be good for his development if he came into contact with Muggles. You could go on playdates."

Dumbledore nodded. "I'd be much obliged if you would. Oh – did Rosmerta call about the cake yet?"

"She did, it'll be ready and delivered early tomorrow morning. Honestly, Albus. Don't be so nervous. He's a year old, he'll probably be more interested in the wrapping paper than in his presents."

Phoebe's prediction turned out to be absolutely accurate.

Severus's first birthday party was a happy affair, if small. Harry and Phoebe were present, the Weasleys (Molly, Arthur and the Twins), Minerva and Fiona. The baby, in his highchair, enjoyed all the attention immensely. His eyes went wide when he was allowed to completely demolish a cake that had been baked just for him. With two little hands full of cream and a face full of cake there was no doubt whatsoever that he appreciated Rosmerta's cooking skills.

After he had been cleaned up, presents were brought out. The brightly wrapped packages peaked Severus's interest, but that the parcels actually contained something eluded him. Turning to his Granddad for help, he did tore at the paper enthusiastically until a toy emerged. He studied it carefully, tested it, and returned to playing with the wrapping paper.

Harry and Phoebe handed Albus a present. "We hope you like it," Harry said, "we don't mean to replace the old one."

"Just make room for new memories," Phoebe added as the Headmaster unwrapped a brand new photo album. Inside were a few photographs of Severus that had been taken in the past year.

"Thank you, childen," the old wizard swallowed the lump in his throat, "I'll be sure to add to it frequently."

"We have another request," the two said much later, when Severus was sitting on the floor, accompanied by Fiona and the Twins to test his new toys.

Albus turned to them. The rest of the room listened curiously.

"We were wondering, Albus, if we could borrow Severus around Christmas," they exchanged a smile, "to be our pageboy."

Severus looked up from his game when shouts and cheers erupted in the room and his playmates abandoned the game to hug Harry and Phoebe.

Grown-ups!


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N I got so many questions about a 'pageboy'. I must admit I found that word in my dictionary. A pageboy is like a flowergirl or a little bridesmaid, only a boy. You know, those cute kids in little suits that hang around the bride and groom all day being adorable. YES, that does mean Harry and Phoebe are getting married! I'm sure no one saw that one coming, right? **

**Disclaimer: I mean no insult to young mothers and playgroups anywhere. Don't sue, I have nothing for you to take but debts.**

**Warning: Those with weak stomachs should not read this. **

Chapter 21: Severus's Playdate.

"…Mrs Norris had kittens. Argus is overjoyed, but Hermione suspects that her cat Crookshanks might be the erm…you know. The kittens are all rather large, ugly and a strange mix of orange and grey. And the Michaelson family wants to talk to you about David and Felicity. They will Floo in at 2 pm."

Albus Dumbledore, who had been grinning over the cats, frowned. "Do you know why? As far as I know, David and Felicity are doing well, aren't they?"

Phoebe nodded. "David is a second-year Ravenclaw and Felicity is in Hufflepuff, finishing her first year. I've asked Pomona and Filius, and they both say the children are doing well. David has an affinity for Transfiguration, Minerva has him doing third year coursework because he became bored. Felicity has trouble keeping up with Charms, but her teachers have noticed she is drawn towards all creatures great and small. She spends much of her time helping out Hagrid. No, it's not the children's academical accomplishments that brings their parents here. It's most likely their placement in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff."

"It is?" Dumbledore was surprised. "But I don't recall any objections when they were first Sorted."

"Parents send letters all the time," Phoebe said dismissively, "I answer most with a standard response of: "Placement by the Sorting Hat can't be contested, your child will most likely be happiest where he or she is now. If this is not the case, we will take action to insure your child's continued well-being, etc.". That is enough for most parents. The Michaelsons apparently expected their children to protest, and were waiting to see if we would resort them."

Dumbledore sighed. "I suppose they want them to be in Slytherin?"

"Albus!" Phoebe said reproachfully, "have you learned nothing?"

Waving his hand and blushing just the tiniest bit, Albus apologised quickly. "I'm sorry, dear, I shouldn't have said that. What House do they want then?"

"Gryffindor," Phoebe said, "they are dedicated Light wizards, or so they think, at least. Nothing but Gryffindor is good enough. David being in Ravenclaw was disappointing, but they grudgingly accepted it. Felicity however…you know how some people regard Hufflepuff."

"Perhaps I should ask Harry to be present when I meet with them," Albus mused.

Phoebe smiled. "He suggested that, too. He'll be up here later." She turned to leave, then remembered something.

"I forgot to tell you! I set up a playdate for you and Severus. I've asked some of my old classmates and Molly Weasley, and there's a group of toddlers, all about one or two years old, who get together for playdates regularly. If you still want to go, they are meeting Friday morning. I've got the Floo address."

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A bit nervous Albus Dumbledore threw powder in the Floo. He held Severus on one arm and balanced the diaper bag on his other shoulder. Stepping out of the fireplace at the other end, he was greeted by a young blonde woman with a toddler clutching the hem of her robes.

"Hello, you must be Severus," she cooed at the child, "Would you like to play with the other children in the garden? Oh, he is a doll," she smiled at Dumbledore.

Feeling ridiculously proud, Dumbledore nodded. "He's a wonderful child."

"Well, come on. A few of the others are here already. Through that door, into the garden. Help yourself to a cup of tea and a scone. And don't worry, the yard is fenced and there are kiddywards in place."

"Kiddywards?" Dumbledore inquired.

"Yes, you know, wards to keep the toddlers inside and away from any water. They also go off if one of them is seriously hurt. Surely you have heard of them?"

"I'm afraid not, dear lady." Albus put Severus on the floor and took his hand. They slowly made their way into the garden, where three young women were sitting, drinking tea and keeping an eye on the children.

The old wizard greeted each of them, but had to fight back a blush when he noticed one of the young mothers, apparently the mother of the two year old playing with blocks in the grass, was nursing a baby. Trying not to let his gaze linger on any exposed skin that he shouldn't usually be looking at, he distracted himself by settling Severus with the other children. The eldest, a girl of about three, immediately offered some toys and decided to make Severus her special charge of the day.

One more woman joined them a few minutes later, her toddler and baby in tow. Dumbledore gallantly helped her with her bag and poured her some tea.

"So nice to have a father here," his hostess crowed, "we don't have that very often. Your little one is absolutely adorable. How old is he? A little past a year?"

"Fifteen months," Albus responded.

More cooing ensued.

"And how many teeth does he have? How long has he been walking already? Does he say some words?"

The aged Headmaster dutifully answered all questions. "He has about ten teeth now, I think. He started walking just before his birthday, and he can say several words. Ball, food, and nits are the most important ones."

"Nits?" the women asked.

"Snitch," Albus clarified, "he's very fond of his toy snitch."

"Awwww," the women smiled, "do you remember Mrs Harden's boy, Jonathon? He used to love toy snitches too at that age."

The discussion continued about people Dumbledore had never met, and children he would most likely not see until they would come to Hogwarts in half a decade or so. Severus, however, seemed to be amusing himself immensely. The girl was playing with him, and she seemed to understand the mixture of understandable English and babbling perfectly well.

He sighed, and sipped his tea. Then the talk turned to labour and childbirth.

One of the women, the breastfeeding one, was relaying the story of her child's birth.

"I woke up one morning and felt such a terrible pain in my back ... found out almost too late that some women have labour pain in their backs .. and I almost did not make it to the hospital."

Noises of horror and sympathy were made, and tea was poured out again, fortified with some chocolates.

"Well I did not have that problem, but .. I ate Christmas dinner ...and then went into labour ...and I was given an enema and it worked .. but .. after 25 hours of labour .. I began to push and more of the Christmas dinner err ..came out .. I was so embarrassed ..I did not know that labour pains are like having a bowel movement."

Albus suddenly found his chocolates less than appealing. The women around him giggled and nodded.

"Oh yes, I think we all know that one. It's perfectly normal, they say, but no one tells you that in Lamaze class!"

"My son's head was in the wrong position," another mother said while she wiped said son's face with a handkerchief that she had spat on, "it was very painful because it was pressing down instead of out. In the end, the doctor had to go in and turn him around. There's barely enough room for a baby's head to come through, imagine the hands of a grown man around that!"

That was something Albus definitely did NOT want to imagine. Going a little green, he put down his tea and chocolates, and frantically hoped Severus would start crying.

"What about Severus?" one of the women suddenly asked, "was there any trouble having him?"

Dumbledore looked over his shoulder at his boy.

"Oh yes," he absentmindedly said, "worst three days of my life. I've never been in so much pain."

The women exchanged shocked looks.

"You mean…you delivered him yourself?"

Dumbledore nodded. "I was alone in my office. There was no one else present, not even the school nurse. I went through the whole process on my own, and I can tell you, it's no picnic having to make rational decisions when your emotions are somewhere else. All the pain was worth it, though, when I held him in my arms for the first time and saw his tiny fingers and toes."

The group was speechless. They stared at him in awe.

"How…how did it start?" one of them asked.

"I needed to use potions and spells, or it wouldn't have worked," Albus answered matter-of-factly, "Fortunately I'm rather good with a wand."

He grinned inwardly at the stunned young mothers. Even the baby had stopped suckling.

"Well, ladies, it has been delightful, but Severus and I need to go. Thank you so much for your hospitality, the tea was delicious."

Gathering the bags and the retrieving the correct child from the mass, he Floo'ed back home.

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"Albus! Albus Dumbledore!" Phoebe entered right in the middle of a chess game between the Headmaster and the History professor.

"Yes, Phoebe?"

"Albus, would you care to explain to me why I am getting Floo calls from the entire playgroup? What have you done?"

"Nothing," the blue eyes twinkled merrily, "I had a wonderful time with those lovely ladies."

Harry watched the exchange with interest. When the Headmaster got that look on his face, something was up, he knew it.

"They are under the impression that you carried and gave birth to Severus yourself, Albus! Hermione has been pestered with all kinds of questions about male pregnancies and why such a discovery wasn't made public. The elder students have been demanding that she teaches them how to make contraceptive potions for males. What did you TELL them?!?!"

Harry was by now giggling helplessly in his chair, unable to get up or talk.

"Only the truth, dear. Not a word I said was untrue."

Phoebe glared at Albus.

"They were swapping childbirth stories and I wanted to fit in," the ancient Mugwump defended himself.

Another stern look made him beat an early and rather hasty retreat to his own chambers, followed by the helpless laughter of Harry Potter.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N This short chapter is a special treat for those who wanted to see more Harry, Phoebe and Severus, so I have postponed the wedding for another chapter.**

The second year Slytherin/Gryffindor class was chatting happily, either with each other or with the paintings on the timeline behind them, waiting for their professor to show up. Fiona finished her drawing of Salazar Slytherin. The stern looking founder had assumed a ridiculous looking pose for the girl, something Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw were giggling over.

Professor Potter entered the room. To the surprise of his students, Severus toddled in with him, holding on to his pinkie. The child babbled incoherently, but became quiet when he saw the class. Sticking a finger in his mouth, he looked shyly up at the wizard.

"Awww," the females in the room, live ones as well as paintings, cooed when the Professor took the child on his arm where the boy hid his head against the man's neck.

"Hello class," Harry said, patting the small back, "as you can see, we have a little guest today. The Headmaster was unexpectedly called away, and Miss Phoebe refused to take him. She muttered something about good practice but I tried to ignore her."

Snickers from the boys and glares from the girls made Severus look up.

"Ona!" he said in surprise, when he spotted his occasional playmate.

"Hey Sev," Fiona waved, "are you going to learn History too?"

Severus tugged Harry's hair. "Ona. Ona sit."

Harry lowered the boy to the floor, and he made his way over to Fiona, who hoisted him on her lap. She fished out some muggle crayons and gave Severus a spare piece of parchment, which he started to color with great enthusiasm.

The Professor began the lecture.

"Awy!" Severus waved his fist about, "Awy! Itty."

Harry nodded. "…and so the Goblins influenced the Muggle banking system in the late Middle Ages…yes, Junior, it's very pretty. Now that the Muggle banks began to emerge, liaisons were appointed and Gringotts…Junior, don't put that in your mouth. Fiona…"

The girl had already taken the crayon from the boy and cleaned his hands.

"Yuck, Sevvy, don't do that."

"ECH," Severus said, scrunching up his face like Fiona.

After a while, he got bored. Slipping off Fiona's lap, he moved to study the timeline. He carefully touched Gryffindor's leg with his finger.

"Oy, tiny knight, what it thou wishes?" the Founder asked. Severus giggled and started chasing the figures with his hands. Soon screams were filling the classroom as the esteemed Wizards, Witches, Goblins, Centaurs, House Elves and many others ran around the wall trying to stay safe from the crayon-covered toddler.

Harry sighed, took a shrunken playpen from his pocket and set it up in a corner, full of toys. He deposited the child into it, who pouted at him.

"Now, don't give me that look, Junior. You know I can't stand it when you look at me like that…no, I am not letting you out, no matter how sweet you look. Alright, YOU explain it to Phoebe."

Fortunately for him, and the class that was giggling and snickering now, the name reminded Severus of his stuffed phoenix. He reached for it with one hand and discovered another interesting toy with the other. Soon he was playing and Harry sighed in relief.

"Now…where were we? Thank you for your efforts, Fiona."

"You're welcome, Professor. And you were telling us about Gringotts' influence on the Muggle banking system."

"Ah, that's right! I also have good news. My friends at Gringotts have agreed to give my second years a tour next Saturday. So you and the Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff class are going on a field trip. We will be leaving early in the morning, and eat lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. If, and I say IF, I can find enough staff and seventh years to accompany us, you may all have an hour after lunch to spend in Diagon Alley. The last part of the afternoon we will be visiting Ollivanders. Our next project is the history of wands and wandmaking. He will show you some ancient wands, so be sure to read up on the subject before we go."

Excited whispers ran through the classroom. A trip to Diagon Alley, when they weren't yet allowed to go on Hogsmeade weekends – that was a real treat.

Later that day, after lunch, Harry took the child to his own rooms and sat down to read Severus a story.

"You were so well behaved in class today, I was very proud of you," he lifted the child over his head, a game Severus still loved. "I have to rest for a bit now, Junior. Shall I read you about Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Frog Factory?"

Severus listened as Harry read him the book, pointing out his favourite pictures on the page.

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Phoebe peeked around the door at about four that afternoon and smiled. On the lounge were her fiancée and Severus, both fast asleep. Severus lay in the circle of Harry's arm. Both dark heads had fallen to the right a bit and the book was laying open on their laps. Obviously neither had outlasted the story.

She smiled, and snuggled in on the other side of the huge lounge chair. Laying her head on Harry's shoulder, and one arm over both him and Severus, she closed her eyes to enjoy a few moments of peace as well.

Albus Dumbledore, arriving half an hour later, didn't have the heart to wake them, and softly retreated to his own rooms.


	24. Chapter 24

Molly Weasley was in heaven.

Not only was she invited to Harry's wedding, but she also got to play 'mother of the bride' and help Phoebe with her outfit.

Of course she felt for the girl, who, despite her happiness over her upcoming wedding to the man she loved, missed her own family dearly. Molly didn't try to replace them. She did her very best to make Phoebe a very happy young bride.

That she got to help pick out dresses, flowers, and meddle with the catering had nothing to do with it. Oh no.

Like right now. She was dragging Albus and Severus through Diagon Alley to find the perfect outfits for them.

"You are NOT wearing those ridiculous star patterned robes of yours, Albus," she scolded, "and I will NOT have you dress Severus in them either."

The Headmaster, carrying the small boy in his arms, just surrendered to the determined witch. Severus giggled and pointed to everything that caught his eye.

Molly, who knew what Harry would be wearing, pushed them into Madam Malkin's and deposited Severus on the counter.

The boy squealed and jumped around when a piece of measuring tape started to wind around him.

"Stay still," the tape scolded, "How will you ever measure up to anything like this?"

Madam patted Severus on the head.

"What color should his robes be?"

"He should match the groom," Molly said, "Harry's wearing black slacks and shirt under a full-length open deep green robe. I'm not sure about the black for a child, though."

Madam Malkin retrieved her tape from Severus's hands, "Perhaps the same green robes as Mr Potter, just a little shorter so he won't trip over them, not open robes. That way he can wear his own clothes underneath and won't feel uncomfortable."

Molly nodded in satisfaction and turned to Albus.

"Since you will be acting as the 'father' for both of them, Albus, you should wear decent robes too."

"My dear lady, when have I ever not…"

"Don't start," both women said in unison.

"Green won't suit him," Madam Malkin mused, "blue would look better. In the same trim as Harry's?"

"Erm…you two ladies just decide whatever we should wear," Dumbledore picked up Severus, "the two of us will be at Florean's."

The witches were so caught up in their planning they didn't see the two males make their escape to tastier pastures.

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Back at Hogwarts, Phoebe sighed in front of her mirror. Hermione had done a good job covering up the curse scar with makeup, but it was still visible.

"Such a shame that charms won't work on it," she muttered depressed, "I so want to look good for Harry."

The man in question, who had just entered and heard her last comment, came over to kiss her.

"You always look good to me," he softly stroked the scar with his finger, "I want to marry you just as you are. I want to marry you just as I am."

Phoebe smiled. "I didn't know you had such a romantic streak," she tried to tease, but it came out choked up.

"I love you," Harry assured her once more before he was shooed out of the room by Hermione, who kept to the Muggle tradition of it being bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding.

She had to laugh when Albus entered an hour later with Severus by his side. The little boy was holding on to the Headmaster's finger and looked up at her in awe.

"Oh dear, Albus – Molly didn't let you wear your own robes?"

The very beautiful, but very unDumbledore-like blue dress robes seemed a bit out of place on Albus, who moved about a tad uncomfortably.

"Ah, well, she insisted," he muttered, before kissing Phoebe on her cheek. "You look radiant, my dear."

Severus tugged on Phoebe's skirt. "Eep – up!" he demanded, seeing the glittering necklace she wore. Obediently she lifted him in her arms so he could play with it.

"Remember what you are supposed to do, little guy? Throw flowers?"

"Fowa," Severus nodded, still playing with her jewelry.

Albus smiled, put Severus on the ground and offered Phoebe his arm.

"Come, child, everyone is waiting in the Hall."

A lot of people had spent many hours turning the Great Hall into the perfect scene for a wedding. Instead of tables, there were two rows with a nice wide aisle between them. Flowers hovered in the air above, with a huge bouquet of roses and lilies above where the Staff Table usually stood. Harry was waiting for his bride, his eyes wide in anticipation.

A collective "Aaaaaahhhhh" sounded through the Hall as the three entered. Phoebe had decided on a compromise and wore light green robes that were cut to fit like a Muggle dress more than actual robes. She had refused a bouquet, because she had put one hand on Albus's arm and was holding Severus's hand with the other.

Severus carried a basket of flowers that he was supposed to throw on the floor before them. Phoebe, Albus and Molly had practiced this with him many times. Seeing so many people, however, Severus shyly hid behind Phoebe's skirt. Until he caught sight of Harry.

"AWY!" he screamed, and letting go of Phoebe's hand, he stormed up the aisle as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Harry caught him at the end and lifted him.

"Fowa, Awy," Severus said proudly…and emptied the entire basket over Harry's head.

Deadly silence followed. Molly had her hand clasped over her mouth. Fred and George were bright red with suppressed laughter. Ministry officials shook their heads with a frown.

Then, a peal of bright giggles filled the Hall. Phoebe leaned against Albus, head pressed against his shoulder, trying to regain her composure. Harry followed suit, grinning at Severus.

"Thanks, Junior," he handed the child to Molly and quickly shook the worst of the mess from his hair and robes.

Phoebe managed to quell the snickers by the time she took her place by her flowery fiancée.

"Whose idea was it to have Junior do the flowers?" Harry whispered at her, nearly setting her off again.

Junior, however, behaved like a little angel for the rest of the ceremony.

"Phoebe," Harry took her hands in his, "From the moment I opened my eyes in the hospital, you were my light, the one who helped me pull through. You made me laugh, you helped me cry, but most of all, you let me be Harry. We clung to each other when things were difficult and pulled every prank imaginable on the staff when we felt good enough. When you came to Hogwarts I was overjoyed. My time with you has been the happiest of my life. I will love you, protect you. I would have died for the Wizarding world, Phoebe, but for you I will do more. For you I will live."

Phoebe smiled through her tears.

"Harry, you came into my life when it was at its darkest, just when I had lost everything. When I thought there would never be love and life and joy, I found you. You pulled me up from despair before I could sink too deep. When you were still recovering from rescuing everyone, you rescued me a second time. You are more than my hero – you are my Harry."

Slowly, their fingers entwined and they leaned in to each other. As their lips touched in a kiss, magic swirled around them in rainbow colored light. When it disappeared, both of them wore a thin band on their finger.

Severus started clapping in delight, and soon the whole room followed suit. The two newlyweds were oblivious to it, however – they stood forehead to forehead, smiling at each other and marvelling at the wonderful feeling of coming home.

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The wedding had taken place in the morning, and after a short lunch during which the 'disposable' guests, as Harry had called them once, could congratulate the pair and be off. Ministry officials and curious reporters were the most prominent of those. Then in the afternoon the Weasley Twins had been enlisted to entertain the guests while the bride and groom retreated. This to allow both Harry and Severus to take a nap, which was necessary to prevent Harry wearing his braces on his wedding day and Severus going cranky.

When they returned, at the end of the afternoon, the company went for a sled ride over the snowy grounds before the dinner started. The Hall now held tables that could seat about eight, and the middle was free for dancing.

Harry slowly led Phoebe onto the dance floor. With the still present Seeker reflexes, he caught a flower from the air and carefully tucked it in her hair.

They didn't knew what a striking couple they made, scars notwithstanding. More than one guest had to wipe a tear at the sight of the happy young couple.

Soon others joined as well. Albus danced with Phoebe and Harry with Molly and Hermione. Phoebe took Severus on her arm and twirled around with the child, making him gurgle with glee. Harry took the boy from her.

"May I cut in, good sir?" he asked the baby.

Severus yawned widely in response.

"I'll tuck him in bed," Albus said with a smile, "kiss Phoebe and Harry goodnight, sweetheart."

After many cuddles not only by the young couple, but also by a number of Weasleys and staff, Severus was brought upstairs and put to bed, hopefully dreaming peacefully of colourful flowers and dancing light.

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At the end of the evening Phoebe and Albus looked at Harry in concern. He was clearly getting tired. Catching Phoebe's eye, Harry nodded.

"May I have your attention, please?"

The crowd hushed.

"My wife and I," cheers emerged and cat calls from Fred and George, "my wife and I would like to thank you very much for sharing this day with us. Before we leave on our honeymoon, we'd like to say we hope you had a good time, and feel free to stay around a little longer. I also want to thank Molly, Arthur, Hermione, Albus and everyone else who helped. Especially my friend Dobby and his fellow Elves, who worked tirelessly to treat us to the most delicious snacks and meals."

Wails could be heard from the castle kitchens as a hundred house-elves burst into tears at the first time they were thanked in public for their work.

Phoebe beamed happily. "I second my husband's remarks. Thank you, everyone. And thanks to little Severus for doing the flowers so well..."

Harry snickered. "Junior has a gift. We are going to leave you now, good people. We'll see you all in a week or so."

The whole room accompanied them to the carriage. Hermione had managed to stop the Twins from tying cans to the back, claiming it would upset the Thestrals and there would be accidents, but the lurid 'Just Married' that Molly had a fit over was still there.

Waving wildly, Harry and Phoebe set off to the edge of Hogwarts's wards where a Portkey would take them to their holiday destination.


	25. Chapter 25

Harry smiled widely at his bride. The castle became smaller and smaller until it disappeared from view.

"Well, Mrs Potter," he stroked Phoebe's cheek, "you are mine now, forever and ever."

"And here I was, thinking that YOU were MINE," Phoebe teased lightly, before leaning into his arms.

"Oh, I am yours," Harry whispered, leaning in for a kiss.

As their lips met, Minerva McGonagall's stern voice boomed through the carriage.

"MR POTTER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT GIRL?"

Harry bolted upright. "Sorry Professor…" he stammered before realizing he was married, his wife was next to him, and it was very unlikely that Minerva was sitting in the carriage with them. Chagrined, he noticed the flash of the camera that had been taking pictures.

"Fred, George – when we come back, you two are SO dead!" he threatened.

Phoebe giggled. "Let's give them something that will burn out their eyeballs," she breathed in Harry's ear.

He smirked before pulling Phoebe passionately into his arms.

Back at the castle, two redheads quickly shut down their camera, fearing they might be scarred for life if they left it on.

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Albus was busy packing.

"You'll be alright in the castle, Minerva?" he asked.

"Of course, Albus. Besides, Poppy is staying, the house elves are here, Hagrid too. I'm sure we'll manage."

Severus toddled in. "Whe'e Awy?" he asked.

"Harry and Phoebe are on their honeymoon, sweetheart," Minerva picked him up, "and you are going on a holiday with Grandpa."

"Dada?" Severus pointed.

"Yes, Grandpa is packing your bag, and in a week or so, Harry and Phoebe will join you. You're going to have lots of fun. I got you a present."

Albus's eyes twinkled brightly. "Minerva, you're spoiling him!"

His deputy blushed. "Oh hush, Albus. After everything that happened to the poor child the last time he was young, he deserves some spoiling. Not too much, mind you, we don't want another Draco Malfoy on our hands, but he must be happy."

"Of course, my dear," Dumbledore smiled at the little boy and nodded encouragingly for him to take the package the Transfiguration teacher held out to him.

Severus clumsily tore off the paper.

"Dada!" he said excitedly when he discovered a bright red plastic bucket and shovel. He tried digging up the carpet immediately.

"It's for on the beach, darling, in the sand."

Severus had picked up the contents of the bucket now and showed them to his granddad.

"Issa?"

"What that is? Oh, my, Severus, those are swimming trunks!"

Indeed two matching pairs of swimming trunks, one small, one large and both green had been wrapped with the toy.

"Severus's are charmed," Minerva explained, "they are charmed to vanish any…accidents immediately and should he, Merlin forbid, end up in the water, they will transform into a life preserver and activate a bubblehead charm over him."

Even the Headmaster, who had seen a LOT in his long life, was impressed.

"You did put a lot of thought into this, did you not, Min?" he kissed his deputy on the cheek, "thank you!"

The child raised his arms. "Tiss Min!" he ordered, wanting to give the woman a sloppy kiss as well.

"Yes, well," the woman actually blushed and cuddled the child to hide it, "You be good now, you hear, young man?"

Severus rested his head against her shoulder and snuggled. Albus quickly hid a smile. His deputy never could remain stern when Severus held on to her like that. He sometimes could swear that the little scamp knew it and did it on purpose.

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Harry and Phoebe had a wonderful time, as all young couples should on their honeymoon. They relaxed, enjoyed each other's company, got to know each other even better and generally had fun.

Phoebe woke up early one morning, seeing Harry leaning on one elbow, just staring at her.

"You stare at me," she accused him with a smile.

"Yes," he didn't even deny it.

"Why?"

"Because you're so beautiful. I love how your face relaxes when you sleep, and how you sometimes suck on a strand of hair, and how you push one fist against your cheek when you sleep on your side."

"I drool and I have marks all over my face from my knuckles when I wake up."

"And you sometimes suck your thumb."

"I do NOT!" Phoebe replied indignantly.

"Yes, you do," Harry teased.

"Well, so do YOU," His wife pouted as she whacked him with a pillow.

"Mercy, mercy!" he laughed, "I won't tell anyone you suck your thumb if you promise not to tell anyone that I suck my thumb."

Phoebe contemplated that offer. "That is acceptable," she finally decided.

"Besides," she added with a mischievous little grin, "you look adorable when you do that. I may have to take a picture of it sometime."

With a growl, Harry held her and rolled around to effectively drive that idea from her head.

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Albus had arrived at his summer home. The weather, unlike the weather back home, was nice and warm. Severus had to adjust to the change a bit, but after a nap and discovering he could run around in his swimming trunks all day, he soon loved their holiday home as much as his granddad did.

Currently, Albus was sitting on the beach, helping the little boy to build a sandcastle. Which meant that Albus was building a sandcastle and Severus dug up sand, poured it over the castle, jumped in to the mountain of sand, making it his mission not to let granddad finish the castle.

"Time for a swim," the old wizard announced. He too was wearing his swimming trunks. He swung Severus onto his hip, and carried him to the waterside where he put him down on the edge.

Severus clung to his hand, afraid of the vast expanse of water before him. But when small waves softly tickled his toes, he took an experimental step forwards. Looking up at Dumbledore to see if it was alright, he stepped in until the water came to his ankles. Then he reached down to touch it and splash it a bit.

He slowly walked further in, Albus holding on to his little hand. When he was up to his knees, he reached up for his grandfather to take his other hand. Albus happily obliged, enjoying the giggles and laughs as the waves continued to roll and wetting Severus to his belly.

After a while, Dumbledore carried him back to the towels on the sand. He held the little boy close, pressing a quick kiss to the delighted face.

"Finally some time just for the two of us, just you and granddad, without all the other people needing me," he ran a finger over the child's cheek.

Severus gave him a bright grin and demanded to be put back down, where he started to pick up shells and put them in his bucket. Dumbledore cast a kiddyward to prevent Severus from wandering off, and settled down with a book.

After a while, the sand and sea and play wore Severus out, and he curled up on the towel next to the Headmaster for a nap in the shade.

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Ten days of sun, sea, sand and play had changed Severus's naturally pale color to a golden tan. He looked like a happy, healthy little boy and the old wizard often found himself watching the child sleep in the evenings, remembering the always pale, always thin looking teen and adult the boy had been. Many times he leaned over to kiss the soft hair and to assure both himself and the sleeping child that it would be alright, that granddad would make sure he stayed happy and healthy.

Harry and Phoebe arrived on the morning of the tenth day. Severus was playing on the porch. Since Molly had taught the Headmaster to cast kiddywards, he used them liberally, enjoying the freedom they gave both him and Severus.

"AWY!! EEP!!" Severus cried out, dancing in joy, "DADA! AWY, EEP!"

He rushed towards them. Harry caught him and swung him up in his arms.

"Hey Junior! Did you miss us?"

Severus reached for his glasses.

"That's a yes, I think, Harry," Phoebe snickered, and plucked the child from her husband's arms to cuddle him.

"Hey my little scamp," she rained kisses on his face, "oh my, you look like you are having a good time here, don't you?"

Albus, alerted by Severus's cries, came out.

"My dear children," he caught them all in a huge hug, "welcome home back. How are you? Sit, sit, your luggage will make its way upstairs, and I daresay you would enjoy a drink."

Severus watched wide-eyed as the suitcases danced upstairs on their own. Phoebe took him on her lap.

"We brought presents for the two of you," she told the boy, "Do you want to see?"

She gave Severus a small package. With some help he opened it to find a small pair of sunglasses.

"Now you won't have to steal mine anymore," Harry tapped the small nose, "put them on, Junior."

Junior obliged happily and looked around, proud.

"Awwwwww," Phoebe nearly melted, "that's so cute!"

"Here, Albus, this is for you," Harry handed the old man a square package.

He opened it to find a very well done painting.

"You said you went to Italy when you were young, and since we were there too, now, thought we'd bring you back a bit of it."

Albus smiled. "That is lovely, children, thank you."

That afternoon, when Severus had been tucked into bed for a nap, the couple showed Albus their wedding pictures, and the ones they took on their honeymoon.

After a while, there was a comfortable silence that Albus reluctantly broke.

"Harry – Phoebe…there is something I have been meaning to ask you for a while now, but I never found the right time or the correct words."

They looked at him, intrigued.

The Headmaster glanced at the door behind which Severus was asleep.

"It is about Severus, really. I – you know how much I love him. I want the best for him."

"Of course," Phoebe nodded.

"I want the best for him, but I am an old man. I could well live for a good many decades to come, but the possibility is there that I will not see him grow up. I have thought long and hard on this and I hoped that…that you would become his godparents."

Obviously relieved to have finally gotten it out, the wizard leaned back, waiting nervously for the response.

Phoebe and Harry shared a glance and then smiled.

"Albus," Harry said, "if anything had happened to you, we wouldn't have LET anyone else get Severus. We hope of course, that it will never be necessary, but we would love to be his godparents."

Albus closed his eyes and sighed. "I am very proud of you, Harry. Not many people could have set aside the bad memories you have of Severus Snape and learn to love my grandson. Thank you, Harry, Phoebe. I feel much better knowing Severus will have a loving family to take care of him should anything ever happen to me."

"Nothing will happen to you," Phoebe said stubbornly, "you will live to a very old age and see Severus's grandchildren and our only job will be to spoil him and his offspring rotten. But of course, if anything should happen, Merlin forbid, Severus will have a home with us."


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: I give Severus some nice godparents and everyone freaks out! Like you all EXPECT me to be evil! pouts **

The year progressed nicely, as Phoebe put it. She and Harry immensely enjoyed being a married couple, but daily life at Hogwarts didn't change all that much because of it. The two of them moved to new rooms, but Phoebe continued the administrative matters and Harry continued to teach.

Soon, Severus's second birthday rolled around. This year he actually understood that the contents of the bright wrappings were just as interesting. Albus claimed he got spoiled. Minerva, Molly and Phoebe denied these accusations vehemently. Harry just laughed and pointed out that Albus was responsible for at least half the spoiling going on, which made the old wizard blush.

Harry gave Severus a Muggle outfit, a toy Knight set. This earned him some raised eyebrows and strange looks.

"Next year, I'll be teaching Muggle history along with History of Magic," Harry explained, "I find that there are significant gaps in the knowledge of both purebloods and muggleborns. So we'll be re-enecting Muggle battles as well, and I thought Severus would enjoy it. Hermione's helping me with the curriculum, since she knows a lot about Muggle history."

"But you were Muggle raised," Minerva commented, holding Severus on her lap to dress him in his new outfit.

"Well, yes, but I wasn't allowed to get better grades than Dudley in school, so I didn't actually learn all that much," Harry shrugged, "I'm reading up on it now. There were wizards involved in many Muggle affairs, but overall the two worlds pretty much kept apart. That wasn't true in other parts of the world, but the Muggle attitude towards Wizards has varied a lot over time, that's why it's difficult to find much factual evidence of Wizards in Muggle history books…and here I go again. Going off on a rant when we're celebrating Severus's birthday."

"Severus is fine, playing with his new toys," Arthur Weasley said, "and you are still doing your level best not to mention your upbringing, or at least make us ignore it. I get the feeling that your passion to educate both muggleborns and purebloods has to do with it."

Harry bit his lip. "I just thought, that if the Dursleys had understood magic they wouldn't have treated me so badly. Or if Wizards had known more about Muggles and our joined history, Voldemort wouldn't have been able to prey on their fears."

At the other's ashamed looks he sighed. Severus climbed onto his lap and he pulled the boy to him until the child squirmed in protest. "No hug. Sev pay."

"No, young man, it's nearly time for a nap for you," Harry lifted the child over his head, but didn't throw him in the air anymore like he had done before. Severus didn't seem to mind. He screamed in delight, forgetting to protest against the nap.

"Mind if I take him, Albus?" Harry asked. Upon receiving a nod, he took the small hand.

"Say bye-bye to everyone, Junior. When you wake up, you get to demolish your cake."

"Bu-bye," Severus waved.

Harry quickly dressed the child in his pyjamas and changed his nappy.

"You know, the first time I did this you were just a little baby, and I had no idea what I was doing," he mused, tickling the child.

"Awy hug," Severus demanded, "stowy."

Harry smiled and sat down into the large chair with the child on his lap.

"Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Severus," he began, telling the story that he, Phoebe and Albus had designed and told Severus many times.

"Sev," the child nodded contently.

"The little boy was sad, because he was all alone. Nobody knew it, but little Severus was a very brave little boy."

A thumb travelled up to the mouth and a dark head nestled against Harry's chest.

"Little Severus went to school and learned a lot of things. He became a very good wizard. There also was a man named Voldemort."

Severus moved his thumb out of his mouth for a moment. "Ba' man," he said.

"Yes, Voldemort was a very bad man. Lots of people were afraid of Voldemort and his friends, because they were very mean. But little Severus wasn't afraid. He went to the Headmaster of his school and said he would fight Voldemort. There were many people who wanted to fight the bad man, but little Severus did the most difficult job."

Severus yawned unashamedly and snuggled closer.

"Little Severus did the job so well that the bad man lost. He and his friends went to prison, and little Severus and his friends told the people they didn't have to be afraid anymore."

Dumbledore peeked around the door, smiling as he heard the familiar story. Severus sleepily held out his arms. "Tiss, Dada."

Kissing the child's head and stroking the dark hair, Dumbledore told him to sleep well. Harry walked over to the cot with the child in his arms and gently lowered him in it.

"Sleep well, brave little Severus."

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**October after Severus's third birthday. **

Most of Severus's third year was spent peacefully living with his grandfather, visiting with Harry and Phoebe and occasionally Molly and Arthur. Minerva pretended to be a strict grandmother, but she never did fool anyone. The baby grew into a healthy, strong little boy who delighted in playing with Fawkes and drove Poppy to despair with the scrapes, cuts and bruises he got from his adventures all over the grounds.

"Dada, look! Me got sword!" Severus stormed into the livingroom, waving a model of a medieval Muggle sword about. "Harwy gived me sword!"

"It's 'I have a sword', Severus," Dumbledore corrected automatically as the boy clambered onto his lap, "It's a beautiful sword! Are you going to help Harry this afternoon?"

Severus nodded proudly. "Me help Harwy. Harwy isse tired."

Albus sighed. Harry was often tired these days, and in a good deal more pain than he cared to admit. The History teacher could not fool Albus and Phoebe, however. A brief stay at St Mungo's during the summer had revived him a little, but it was clear the Vanquisher of Voldemort's health was rapidly declining.

Severus looked up at his granddad. "Harwy sick?"

"Yes, sweetheart," Dumbledore stroked the black hair, "Harry is sick."

"Sev'rus give Harwy kiss, make it awl betta," the boy decided to use the remedy Auntie Min so often used on him, and ran out the door.

Harry was resting. He was now so often in pain that Phoebe had made sure he only taught in the mornings. Seventh year NEWT students had already taken over teaching first and second year. He wore his braces whenever he was on his feet. An additional charm devised by Flitwick gave his lower back the support it needed, but he paid for it when it wore off.

Severus entered their rooms, clambered upon Harry's bed, threw his little arms around Harry's neck and planted a wet sloppy kiss on his cheek.

"What are you doing, Junior?" the tired teacher managed a small smile as he moved the child to sit besides him, not on top of him.

"Harwy is sick, Sev'rus gived kiss. Awl betta now?"

"I'm much happier now that you are here," Harry tapped the boy's nose, "guess what Phoebe left with me?"

"Frogs!!" the child bounced, causing Harry to wince. Nevertheless, he pulled two chocolate frogs from a pile of books, parchments, Muggle pens and essays. He handed one to the boy and opened the other.

"Granddad," he said, showing the boy the moving picture of Albus Dumbledore.

"Harwy," Severus responded, showing his chocolate frog card.

Harry stared at the picture. It had been taken by Colin, just days prior to the final battle. It showed a tense, but determined boy, working out and training.

Then his eye fell on the chocolate covered child besides him.

"Can't dwell on what I've lost," a flash of the old determination returned, "I have a wife, students, family to live for now. That boy in Colin's picture was healthy, but alone."

When Albus knocked a while later to retrieve Severus, he found them both on the bed, Harry laying down and Severus sitting next to him, using coloring wax to paint a 'picture' of Harry on some parchment.

"Albus," Harry reached out his hand and the Headmaster took it, concerned.

"I can't go on like this. I'm worn out. I can't be there for my wife, I can't be there for my students."

Dumbledore squeezed the thin hand. "Is there nothing that can be done?"

Harry sighed. "Perhaps. The Healers aren't exactly sure yet, but even if they can help me, it will likely involve lengthy treatment. I need you to find a substitute for me. Phoebe and I discussed it at length already, and we've agreed that we have to get to the bottom of this. The curse that hit me wasn't well-known. You know the trouble with such wounds."

Albus nodded. "Many people have succumbed to injuries that had been healed months or even years before. I will take you and Phoebe to St Mungo's myself, and don't worry about your students. They will miss you dearly, but we'll look after them, I promise."

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Harry had been in St Mungo's for two weeks now. Phoebe spent her time at Hogwarts or by her husband's hospital bed, avoiding the empty rooms that were their home. Harry weakened rapidly now, and had lost the ability to walk completely.

The healers had explained what was happening. When Harry was brought in after the battle, they had immediately noticed the massive amounts of Dark magic lingering in the wound. Time was running out and they had to act quickly. Their solution was a testimony to their skill and power, as they had managed to contain the curse within the wound when they found they could not remove it. Once that was done, they had been able to stop the blood loss and, through many different procedures, reattach the spine.

They had been convinced that the curse would fade over time, so even though their container would not last for more than a few years, by the time it collapsed the curse would've dissipated as well. They had been wrong. The container was collapsing, and the dark curse was about to be released back into Harry.

**A/N: Okay, so maybe I'm a bit evil. **


	27. Chapter 27

Albus entered the rooms of the History professor early in the morning. As always the past weeks when he visited those particular quarters, he felt the sadness and emptiness that lingered in them. Retrieving the tests Harry had designed for his NEWT classes, he turned to leave when a soft sob caught his attention.

"Phoebe?" In a corner of the room, his secretary sat huddled in a tight ball of misery. Knees pulled up to her chin, arms hugging her shins and tears pouring down her face.

"Come, child," he gently coaxed her up and led her to the couch, "my poor girl, it has been too much for you, has it not?"

Accepting the lurid pink handkerchief, Phoebe rubbed her face, not caring about the Muggle cosmetics that she used to make her scar stand out less.

"Harry's dying, Albus," she finally said, her voice flat and hopeless. "I'm going to lose him. He has days, perhaps. I – he is in so much pain, he…today he requested that I find someone…"

She couldn't bring herself to finish.

"Find someone to finish it?" Albus softly supplied, tears running down his own face.

"He said the Killing Curse is mercifully painless. He asked me if I could not do it myself, to find someone who can. But how can we, Albus? I can summon up anger and hate at the fates for taking him from me, but I can't hate Harry! And I don't want to!"

Her voice had gotten a hysterical note to it and the Headmaster pulled her in his arms.

"My poor children," he whispered, "I still hope for a cure for Harry, but it is not entirely true that the Killing Curse works only on hate. It works on intense emotions, and hate is summoned most easily of those. But intense love will make it work as well. I beg you, however, do not give up yet. There must be a way."

Phoebe sighed deeply. "His healer is coming by this afternoon. Come with me, Albus? You and Severus? Harry and I need your support, and Harry wants to say goodbye to Severus before…before he gets so ill he scares the boy out of his wits."

sssssssss

That day at breakfast, Dumbledore made the most difficult announcement he ever had to make.

After calling for silence, he stood up, his eyes already watery. "Children – I have bad news. You all know Professor Potter has been on sick leave for a while now. It is becoming clear that he…that he won't be coming back…"

Chaos emerged in the room while the Headmaster tried to regain his composure.

"QUIET!" Hermione roared, her own face wet with tears.

"Thank you, professor," Dumbledore nodded sadly at the Potions Mistress, "Professor Potter is dying. The curses he sustained during the war have become unmanageable. His own magic reserves have depleted staving off the inevitable. Unless a miracle happens, he will not outlive this week."

The silent students solemnly regarded the old wizard. Many were crying, including a large portion of Slytherin House. Fiona sobbed quietly.

"We live in a world that is full of miracles. However, we also live in a world where death has long been our close companion. Death is…is the final adventure…and knowing Harry Potter, he will enjoy that adventure to the fullest, even if both he and we wish he would stay with us much longer. Sometimes, despite all our magic, there is no choice."

Dumbledore sat down, his eyes on his plate, fearing that if he looked up, he would see a green-eyed boy sit at the Gryffindor table with his friends, always in that same spot, the place where he had seen him grow from eager child to determined adolescent.

Whispers began to emerge, but the inhabitants of the castle had lost their appetites and the Hall emptied early.

"Is Phoebe with Harry?" Hermione asked timidly, "do you want me to babysit Severus today so you can join them?"

Albus shook his head. "I'm taking Severus with me this afternoon. Harry wants to say goodbye to him first, before the effects of his illness are…are too visible."

sssssssss

Molly sobbed into her husband's shoulder.

"Oh, Arthur, I can't believe this, it can't be happening, not now that he was finally happy…"

The balding man tried in vain to comfort his wife while fighting with his own emotions. His twin sons had come to the Burrow, but had locked themselves in to their old room as they always did when they had been upset as children.

"We can't…can't begrudge him going to his parents and Sirius," Arthur muttered, "but Phoebe, poor Phoebe…"

ssssssssssss

The Headmaster slowly walked the corridor to Harry's room, slow not only because of grief, but also to adjust to the walking speed of the child holding his hand.

"Harwy now?" Severus asked. Dumbledore picked him up.

"We will see Harry soon," he kissed the dark head, "do you remember what I told you, sweetheart? Harry is very sick, and the Healers can't help him anymore. Harry will be going away soon, and he won't be able to come back. That's why he wanted to say goodbye to us."

The child's lip trembled. "Harwy not go, Sev'rus want Harwy to stay!"

"We all want Harry to stay, darling," Dumbledore cuddled the boy, "but we don't always get to choose."

They walked into the room. Phoebe smiled and held out her hands to Severus, who let himself be lifted in to her arms.

"Harry is very sick, honey, so you have to be quiet. Can you do that?"

Overwhelmed with the impressions of the hospital room, Severus nodded. Phoebe approached the bed, where the pale and thin face of her husband rested on a pillow, his green eyes closed.

"Harry, love? Albus and Severus are here."

Harry slowly opened his eyes and despite the immense pain, managed a smile. "Hello Severus. How is my boy?"

"H-Harwy?" Severus's eyes filled with tears.

"Come, junior, come give me a hug," Harry invited. Phoebe gently lowered the boy on the bed where Harry managed to get his arms around him. Severus stroked Harry's face.

"Harwy sick," he concluded sadly.

"Yes, Harry is sick," the young man admitted, "Will you be a good boy and give Phoebe lots of cuddles for me when I'm away? And much, much later, when you're all grown up and an old man, you're going to come on the adventure too and we'll have lots of fun, alright?"

Severus nodded. "Here," he slung his favourite stuffed animal onto Harry's chest, "Harry have Bo."

"Sweetheart, are you sure? You always take Bo everywhere." Phoebe sat next to them.

"Harwy needs Bo," Severus explained, "Harwy not be alone."

Suddenly Harry looked away. "Take him away, Phoebe," he said, his voice tight with tears, "Please. I don't want him to see me fall apart. Take him away."

Phoebe lifted the boy and handed him to Dumbledore.

"Alright, love, it's alright," she whispered as she kissed Harry's face, "it's alright."

"I need to sleep a bit," her husband's eyes closed again, "Phoebe?"

"I'll be here when you wake up," she promised.

A little while later, Dumbledore and Phoebe sat with the Healer next to Harry's bed. Severus was playing with some empty potions bottles on the floor.

"I won't try to deceive you," the Healer sighed, "Mr. Potter has days at best."

"We already suspected," Dumbledore held Phoebe's hand in his, "is there nothing, nothing at all that you can do?"

"No," the Healer answered, "Mr Potter did not want to try the treatment we developed, and there is no other…"

"Wait," Phoebe interrupted, "what treatment? He didn't mention it."

"Didn't he?" the Healer looked at the boy. "That you brought the child made me hope he had reconsidered…See, we know of course that child is Severus Snape. We have wands and diagnostic spells as well. And since everyone else bearing the Dark Mark is dead, the boy is the only chance Mr Potter has."

"Severus no longer has a Mark," Dumbledore shook his head.

"He does. The link to You Know Who is gone, but the dark magic that created it still lingers. We can extract it and use it to neutralize the dark magic in Mr Potter's body. We have found that sometimes it takes dark magic to defeat dark magic. However, Mr Potter refused because of the risks to the boy."

Phoebe stared at Severus. "What risks?"

"Mr Snape bore the Mark for so long it's magic has integrated with his own. Extracting it could cause him to go into shock and die. That he is now a child could prove either a curse or a blessing. His body is more likely to go into shock, but his link to his magic is not as strong now as when he was an adult, presumably making it easier for his body to adjust. It could go either way. He could die or end up a squib. A wide variety of things can go wrong. Mr Potter felt it was wrong to subject the child to that and has forbidden us to contact you about it. However, he is now dying…"

"You broke your promise," Harry's voice rasped, "I told you I won't risk Junior."

"Harry…" Albus took the nearly skeletal hand in his, "why didn't you say anything? We could have discussed it."

"No, Albus," Harry's voice sounded strong and sure, "You will NOT risk Severus for me, not again. You have made him put his life on the line for me too many times."

He then turned to this wife. "Phoebe…"

"Shhh, my love," she softly placed her finger on his lips, "I know. I cannot bear to lose you, but Severus's life is not ours to take. If we would – well, there are things much worse than death…"

Despite her brave words, she collapsed, hid her head on Harry's chest and cried.

Albus sat in shock. He stared at the boy, then back at Harry and at the boy again. He moaned softly as old memories came rushing back, all the times he had chosen Harry over his Potions Master, the hurt look on the adult Severus's face at Harry's first leaving feast, after his third year, all the times Severus had risked everything to save Harry and was scorned and ridiculed as a reward.

What kind of a monster was he, that even now he would not immediately reject anything that endangered his child?

"Albus," Phoebe's broken voice brought him from his tortured thoughts, "don't blame yourself. This is a choice no one should ever have to make. You don't have to make it. That was Harry's point in keeping it from us, so that we wouldn't have to."

Dumbledore looked up at her. "I made that choice over and over again in the past. I – can't let Harry die, but I can't risk Severus either…"

"You have to let me die, Albus," Harry smiled, "You said it yourself when I was eleven. Death is not so bad, just the next great adventure. Tom once said…" he gasped for breath and coughed, "Tom once said that I lived on borrowed time. I'm glad…Phoebe," he reached for her, "love you, Phoebe."

"Shhhh, rest now, love," Phoebe stroked the dark hair, "rest. I love you, Harry."

"No, Phoebe. Pain…enough now. Do…Killing Curse. End it," he wheezed.

Helplessly, Phoebe turned to Albus. "I can't, Albus! Please…"

Dumbledore hesitated. Then he pointed his wand at the suffering young man.

"Morpheus Maxima," he cast the strongest sleep spell he knew.

Harry slumped back, his body relaxing in the first real sleep he'd had in days.

"This works only once," Dumbledore lowered his head, "he will not wake up again until he is cured, or dies."

Harry Potter slept, blissfully unaware of the grieving people staring at his now comatose form.


	28. Chapter 28

Not many students bothered to go to Hogsmeade now that their professor was dying. The atmosphere in the castle was depressed. People spoke in whispers, in class the professors no longer took points off for their student's absentmindedness. It was as if the castle itself mourned Harry Potter.

The few who did visit the town did so out of necessity, to get supplies, or to get away from the crowded castle to grieve in silence.

It was one such student that on that day saw a man chasing a rodent.

"Werewolf," she absentmindedly noted, reading the man's aura, as she called the 'solar flares' from people's magical cores. It did not frighten her. History class had covered werewolves. The professor had been very adamant that they should learn to see them as people with a monthly problem.

Thinking about her professor she noticed something off in the rodent's aura. Or rather, the fact that it had one at all was strange. Auras were reserved for magical beings.

She narrowed her eyes. They had covered the Voldemort years now and she remembered the story of his rebirth.

"Accio animagus!" It worked. She caught the little critter at unawares. Grabbing him from the air, she studied him. Yes – a silver paw.

A panting werewolf rushed towards her. "You…wheeze caught him! Thanks…"

The rat wriggled, bit and scratched her hands, but she didn't care. She saw in its aura what she had seen in only one other.

"Remus Lupin, I presume?" Fiona Grendel said with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

ssssssssss

Phoebe had fallen asleep. Albus had laid her next to Harry on the bed and was watching over them. Minerva had picked Severus up hours ago to take him back to Hogwarts. He stroked his history professors hair and noticed the white streaks in it.

"My poor, poor boy," he said softly, "you never really were happy, were you? Ah, Harry, I'm so sorry."

One of the receptionists entered.

"Headmaster Dumbledore? I am sorry to intrude, but you have a Floo call. It is apparently urgent. You can take it in the waiting room down the hall."

With a sigh, the old wizard got up and answered his call.

"This had better be important," he began, and then he froze. In the Floo he saw two faces he would never expect. Remus Lupin and Fiona Grendel seemed flushed and excited.

"Headmaster," Remus began, "Albus, you must come quickly. We captured him."

Albus stared dumbly at them. "Who?"

"PETER!" Remus nearly bellowed, "I was coming back to Hogwarts with him, but he got away from me in Hogsmeade. Miss Grendel here recognized the animagus and caught him. We have Wormtail."

sssssssssssss

Albus did not hesitate in stepping through the Floo and going back to Hogwarts where an agitated Remus waited for him.

"I was told about Harry – is it true, Albus?"

The Headmaster nodded sadly.

"I must go to him," the werewolf said, "My cub…"

"Remus, stay for a moment longer. Yes, Harry is dying, but with Peter we have a chance."

"A chance? For what?" Two confused stares met his.

"The Healers believe they can try to neutralize the curse in Harry, but they need a Dark Mark. Harry refused to let Severus be used, so we gave up hope. But now Peter is here, and he owes Harry a life debt…"

Slowly comprehension dawned. "I'll get him, we'll make him…" Remus started for the door.

"Wait, Remus. Peter may not have been the strongest of wizards, but he was Tom's confident for many years. He may have knowledge we need."

Soon, a shaking rat like man sat in front of the Headmaster. Fiona, who had remained quiet in the hopes that the older wizards would forget her presence, shivered. She had never seen the Headmaster so – so powerful. His aura, which had always been strong but never frightening, suddenly expanded and nearly filled the room.

"Mister Pettigrew," he said coldly, "What a surprise to see you again."

"H-Headmaster…" the man babbled, "I – I can explain…"

"No need, Peter," Remus growled softly, "we know it all. The question is just – do you die a quick and painless, or a horrible and gruesome death?"

Fiona saw the man sweat, and felt queasy. Surely they would not kill that man, no matter how horrible he was, right here?

"R-Remus, please…"

"No, Peter," Dumbledore interfered, "no more lies. No more excuses. You have just one chance, one way in which you can earn some leniency."

At the prospect of a way out the rat looked up, hope glittering in his beady eyes.

"Harry is dying from Voldemorts curse," Remus said, ignoring the flinch at the late Dark Lord's name, "he can only be treated with dark magic. Like that of the Mark."

Wormtail blanched. "S-surely Severus…"

"No," Dumbledore shook his head, "Severus is out of the question. Your Mark, however…"

"It would not work," Peter shook his head, "The curse came from the Dark Lord. The Mark came from the Dark Lord as well. They would only strengthen each other, especially mine."

"Because your hand was used in his rebirth?" Remus understood.

"Yes. See, Death Eaters, when they get the Mark, get an amount of Dark Magic. That's why the Dark Lord only ever Marked a few people at a time, he had to replenish his magic. The magic of the Mark is alien to us. It causes great pain until it merges with our own magic. Normally, that would allow that magic to be used in a cure for Harry, because it is no longer entirely Voldemort's. However, because my Mark is connected to Voldemort by more than just magic, it won't work. It would kill both me and Harry."

"Then there's no hope," Remus dropped his head in his hands. Tears rolled down his fingers and unto the floor. Dumbledore just stood there, numb.

Fiona had crept forward until she was facing the bound man.

"Your magic is tied," she remarked, "but Severus's is not. How come?"

"Our Lord knew Severus's magic had not merged with our Master's. It – amused him. Severus showed great strength in being able to resist the merge. It really is immensely painful to do so. That is also how Severus managed to betray our Master. Once the merge had taken place, betrayal was impossible. We had almost become one with him."

"So the magic from Severus's Mark could be used if it was merged with him?"

"Or with anyone else," Peter admitted, "it has to be – almost filtered, as it were. But theoretically, it could, yes. Severus's part of the dark magic is probably the only part that can be extracted without killing him when done with the proper spells. If someone like the Headmaster were to infuse it with his own magic…"

"Of course," Albus whispered, "I have heard of that. The spells have been considered lost…"

"Our Lord knew them," Peter spoke up, trying to be cool and confident and failing miserably, "I will teach them to you, for a price."

Lupin's eyes glowed gold. "What price, rat?"

"Not my freedom – I'm not fool enough to think I could get that. I will teach you the spells, and I will act as the mediator between the dark magic from Severus and the Headmaster, which is the most dangerous part in it all, in exchange for a life sentence in Azkaban."

"Would it hurt Severus?" Albus demanded.

"It would just liberate him of something he wants rid of anyway," Peter answered, "there should be no pain involved for him. Only for you. When the magic from Snape gets to you, you will have to infuse it with your own. It will resist."

Dumbledore nodded in understanding, but Remus hesitated.

"How will that cure Harry? Won't we just be exchanging one dark curse for another?"

"The two sources of dark magic will annihilate each other, leaving only the bit of light magic from the Headmaster," Peter answered, feeling more confident now that he wasn't going to die.

Albus sighed. "We…" He broke off and bowed his head.

"We'll have to ask Phoebe. I'll go talk to her. Remus, you take Peter to St Mungo's. Mister Pettigrew, I swear, if you attempt to get away…"

"I can't," the rat shivered under the icy blue gaze, "this is the last chance to fulfil my life debt. I'd be dead either way if I don't fulfil it now."

"Good. Fiona, go pick up Severus, then Floo to St Mungo's from Professor McGonagall's office. Hurry!"

sssssssssssssssss

Phoebe woke up to the Headmaster shaking her shoulder.

"Albus? What…"

Quickly he explained that another Death Eater had been found. He hardly got started when Fiona entered with Severus. Apparently the girl had practically apparated through Hogwarts to get the child.

"Severus? No, Albus, we agreed we would NOT use Severus," she picked up the little boy and held him protectively. Not understanding what was happening, Severus began to cry.

Into that mess, Remus and wormtail entered.

"Phoebe, we have been assured it will not hurt Severus at all, or I wouldn't agree to it," the Headmaster pleaded.

"That? That, that child is Severus?" Peter gasped.

"Yes," Fiona answered, tensed, "and if you hurt him, there will be a LOT of people after your blood."

"Well, it will make extracting the magic much easier," the balding wizard shrugged.

Phoebe looked between them. "Can it really be done, Albus?" she whispered, her eyes filled with hope as she tried to soothe Severus.

"Peter assures us it can, and his life literally depends on it," the ancient wizard said grimly. He then took Severus from Phoebe.

"Hush, my little one, shhhh, grandpa is here," he rocked the child a little, "Can you listen to grandpa for a moment?"

A few more hiccups, and Severus looked at his granddad.

"Severus, you know Harry is very sick. Now we have found a way to make Harry better. Would you like to make Harry better?"

The boy nodded.

"It won't hurt, but it will be scary. You will feel strange, and Granddad and Harry will probably be in pain and scream. That may frighten you."

"Ganpa no pain," Severus seemed upset at the possibility, "Sev'us make Harwy better."

"Severus and Granddad make Harry better together," the old wizard corrected.

"Now, Fiona will be holding you and stay with you until it's all done, alright? You can sit on her lap."

sssssssssss

Severus was frightened. Harry was so quiet and everyone so sad. Reluctantly he let himself be planted on Fiona's lap.

"Ona," he said softly. This girl he knew well. She felt safe. Leaning back into her and putting his thumb in his mouth he hoped they would soon be back home and things would be normal again.

The little strange man began to talk and Granddad waved his wand. Suddenly he felt something weird in his tummy. It didn't hurt but it felt strange and he clung to Fiona so she could protect him.

Suddenly the feeling was gone. He felt better, better like the time he had gotten a splinter and had walked around with it all day. By the time it was evening he was so used to the sore that he didn't notice it anymore. Then the nurse had spotted it and gotten it out, and when it was out and healed, he noticed that it HAD felt bad.

Then Granddad collapsed. He wanted to go to him, but Fiona held him, whispering into this ear that everything would be alright. But how could it be alright if his Granddad was on the floor screaming like that?!?

Fortunately Granddad got up soon. But then Harry began to scream! He clasped his hands over his ears and buried into the girl.

The strange man was with them, holding them both since Fiona was crying too. Severus felt the strong arms and grabbed hold of the man's robes with one hand and Fiona's with the other.

Then all was quiet.

Carefully he peeked around the strange man's arm. Granddad and Phoebe and Granddad crying.

Harwy? Struggling up, he tried to see over the edge of the bed.


	29. Chapter 29

Healers bustled about in the room, levitating Dumbledore to a bed, checking Harry, and picking up Wormtail. The rat was conscious, but barely.

"What shall we do with him, sir?"

Remus Lupin shrugged. "We promised he'd go to Azkaban if he would help us, so patch him up and take him there. Do inform them that this is an Animagus who should be guarded especially close.

"Thank you….Remus…" Peter managed.

"Don't thank me," Lupin's eyes flashed, "if it weren't for Harry, I would have killed you long ago. I will never forgive you for what you did. The Peter I went to school with is dead. All you are is a Death Eater that resembles him somewhat."

With that, he turned back to the children he was still holding. The girl was cuddling the toddler close, trying to soothe the upset boy who fought to reach the Headmaster.

"Ganpa, Ganpa, Sev'us wants Ganpa!"

Remus took the child on his arm. "Come, we'll go see Granddad," he said to the shocked boy, "but you must be quiet because Granddad and Harry need to sleep now."

Severus nodded, and let himself be carried to Dumbledore's bed.

"Ganpa?"

"Granddad will be fine," Remus soothed with a glance at the Healer, who nodded brightly.

"Yes, indeed," the woman tapped the boy's nose, "Grandpa is just very, very tired so he has to sleep."

Remus smiled and then hurried over to Harry's bed, the boy still on his arm.

"How is he?" he anxiously asked the Healer.

"It's – fighting. The magic is fighting. It will be a very rough night for him, but he does have a chance now."

Phoebe held on to Harry, tears falling on his chest. "Fight, Harry, stay with me. Don't leave me, please, Harry!"

Remus bit his lip.

"Can Severus go to Professor McGonagall?" he asked Fiona.

"She, she's running the school on her own now, sir, with the Headmaster, Mr and Mrs Potter being here. I could…I could take him, but…"

"Nooooo!! Sev'us stay wif Ganpa an'Harwy!" the child wailed, realizing they wanted to take him away from the people who were his family.

The werewolf shrugged. "I'm going to stay here tonight. Fiona, why don't you go back to school and let Professor McGonagall know what has happened and that erm…Severus will stay here. I'm sure the Healers can supply whatever he needs. I will contact Professor McGonagall in the morning, or if there is news. Also, ask her to check if Pettigrew did actually arrive at Azkaban."

An aid came by just after Fiona left to see if anything was needed. Remus requested a bed for him and the child, and something to eat. Dinner time had past in all the excitement and he figured the youngster would be hungry.

Severus looked up shyly at the man. He remembered strong arms around him, and the man had been nice, letting him see Grandpa, but now everyone was asleep, Fiona was gone and he was basically alone with a stranger. Phoebe had fallen asleep again as well, curled against Harry.

"So, this is what has become of you, Severus," Remus muttered, studying the boy. Black hair, black eyes. Not a very large nose, no greasy look to the hair. Not skeletal either, like the Potions Master had been even as they just started Hogwarts.

"G..Ganpa…?" tears were forming in the dark eyes and Remus realized he was frightening Severus.

"Sorry, little one." He took the child on his knee, "The nice nurse is going to bring us something to eat, and then you can sleep in Granddad's room. Would you like that?"

Dumbledore had been moved to an adjacent room, and the door was open so Remus could keep an eye on everyone.

Severus nodded happily. "Sev'us stay wif Ganpa an'Harwy an' Eebe."

"And Remus," Remus added, "my name is Remus."

"Wee…Wee…Weems? Wee-mus?" Severus tried.

"Close enough," the werewolf laughed. A few plates came in with food. Severus eyed them hungrily.

A piece of meat pie, some baked potatoes and a few scoops of applesauce later Severus yawned. Remus smiled and washed him up. He had been given permission to transfigure what needed, so he changed a chair into a small bed in Dumbledore's room. Then he made the wall transparent there so that he could see the boy and the boy could see him. Severus insisted on kissing Harry, Phoebe and Albus goodnight, so each sleeping or unconscious roommate received a sloppy kiss somewhere on their heads. It didn't wake them up.

Putting a nappy on the child – Fiona had informed him that Severus was potty trained during the day but had trouble waking up to go potty during the night – he tucked him in.

"This is just so strange," Remus thought as he stroked his former school rival's hair and sang him a lullaby.

ssssssssssss

Albus Dumbledore woke up with a killer headache. Every muscle seemed tense and sore. What on earth had he done yesterday? Ran the New York Marathon? Swam across the Channel?

Slowly memories made their way back and he forced himself to sit up in bed. Before he could try to reach the glass of water besides him, Remus was next to him, propping him up on pillows and offering him a headache potion.

"You were magically exhausted," he informed the Headmaster, "the muscle aches will ease in a bit, I am told."

"Severus?" But he already saw the boy, asleep in the blankets. Remus carefully picked the child up and settled the small body next Albus.

"Harry?" the ancient wizard asked next.

The werewolf smiled tightly. "Still fighting. He's been more or less stable through the night, and the Healers are getting more hopeful with each hour that passes. The dark magic is slowly seeping from him. If he manages to stay alive long enough for all of it to drain, he will recover."

"Oh." The old man looked frail, due to his exhaustion. "I thought…"

"You thought that Harry would jump out of bed the moment it was done? Even in our world, there aren't always miracle cures, Albus. If Harry survives he will need time to recover. The Healers aren't even sure yet that he won't have permanent damage. He came very close to dying."

Albus nodded, wanted to respond but he felt his eyes close again. Sleep claimed him.

sssssssss

Light. Floating. Quiet.

Harry wondered about it. He had been sure voices were calling him earlier but now all was silent.

Wasn't he supposed to be dead yet?

With some effort he opened his eyes. Ah. Dark. Night.

A warmth on his side made him turn his head slightly and he smiled. Phoebe. His wife. She was sleeping next to him, her head against his shoulder.

He wasn't dead! How was that possible?

"Severus," he moaned, realizing that there was only one way in which this could have come about.

Phoebe opened her eyes, stared into this face. Tears ran down her face.

"You're awake," she whispered, stroking his cheek with a finger.

"Severus," Harry rasped, "told you…not use…"

"Shhhh," Phoebe soothed, "Severus is fine." She got up and helped him drink a few sips of water mixed with an energy potion.

The other occupants had heard sounds from their room and came rushing to their side. Remus took Harry's hand.

"Hey, Cub."

Harry glared at Dumbledore. "You used Severus. I told you not to."

"We didn't, Harry," Albus tried to calm the obviously angry man, "not like you think. We managed to help Severus along with you."

"We captured Wormtail, Harry," Remus explained softly, "Wormtail spent years doing Voldemorts research. He knew how to extract the dark magic from Severus without hurting him, infusing it with Albus' magic and sending it into you."

The angry glare softened. "Sorry, Albus."

The Headmaster laid a gentle hand on his Professor's thin shoulder. "It is quite alright, my boy."

A Healer rushed in. "You were supposed to WARN when he woke up," she scolded, waving her wand over Harry.

A few tense moments later, she looked up with a small smile.

"I think we can safely say you are in the clear, Mr Potter, though you have a long way to go yet."

Phoebe turned to Albus and sobbed into his shoulder in happiness.

sssssssssssss

A week later Harry was discharged from the hospital with strict orders to rest up and eat well. Phoebe contacted the Headmaster to arrange leave for both of them for the rest of the school year.

"We'd love to return, Albus, but Harry has to get therapy to learn to walk again, this time properly, and he needs to gain strength and weight. Molly and Arthur have offered to have us stay with them, and we accepted. Molly quite looks forward to feeding Harry up, I believe. I'll be over to help as soon as Harry is stronger, but that may be a while."

Albus's eyes twinkled. "Oh, Molly will spoil Harry rotten, undoubtedly."

Phoebe sighed a bit. "I think I will have to really put my foot down from time to time. Will you and Severus come to visit often? We'll miss you."

"Of course, dear," the Headmaster reassured her, "As often as we can."

"I'm still grateful I could keep Harry," Phoebe said softly, "I was so afraid to lose him."

She stood up. "I'll see you and Severus soon, then. Be good, boys," she picked Severus up from where he was playing in a corner of the room and gave him a cuddle before going to rejoin her husband at the Burrow.

**A/N I'm taking a break from this story for a little while to work on my other stories that are still waiting to be completed. So I won't update soon, but I promise I won't abandon it. **


	30. Chapter 30

Harry lay in a hammock in the Weasleys back yard, Severus next to him. The summer had started early this year and they were enjoying a few very nice days despite it being only early May. Severus had played with Gandalf in the yard all morning, chasing the gnomes away. Gandalf was Molly Weasley's cat, a son of Crookshanks; Hermione had given her the small ugly orange ball of fur that proved without doubt Crookshanks was the guilty party in impregnating one of Hagrid's Kneazles when Molly complained about missing Crookshanks' gnomehunting skills. Now, after lunch cat, child and recovering Professor all felt sleepy and lazy. The boy had brought his favourite book – a children's book on history of magic. Apparently, from the looks and encouragement the others had given the boy, Harry had been appointed the designated reader for such materials. Severus lay in the crook of Harry's arm while Gandalf had found a comfortable spot between Severus's feet.

"Look, that's the 's' from Sev'rus," the little boy pointed.

"Very good, Junior, the 's' from Severus and from Salazar Slytherin. Salazar Slytherin lived at Hogwarts with his friends Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff and Godric Gryffindor. Salazar enjoyed talking to snakes. He was a very good wizard. Did you know that he built a secret Chamber in Hogwarts, Junior? It's empty now, but a Basilisk lived there not so long ago."

Severus looked up in alarm, knowing what a Basilisk was from his Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them picture book.

"Don't worry, it's dead," Harry consoled him, "I did it myself. I really ought to take Hermione down there sometime to harvest the parts we can use for potions."

"Me too, Harry? Me too?" Severus bounced a little in excitement, which made Gandalf look up with a disgruntled expression before he stretched and attempted to find an even more comfortable spot.

"Hmmm, maybe," Harry stroked the dark hair, "I will have to make sure it's safe first, but then I suppose I could persuade your granddad to let you join our little adventure."

"What adventure?" Dumbledore strolled into the garden.

"Granddad, Granddad, Harry says I can come, pleeeeese say yes?"

Severus held out his hands to be lifted and Dumbledore obliged, taking him in his arms.

"What adventure did you two have in mind?"

"We're moving back to Hogwarts soon and I figured I could make a trip down the Chamber of Secrets to make sure it is secure. The Basilisk is still there and I imagine even after all this time parts of it can be used for potions. Hermione would be interested. Severus of course wanted to come too and I told him I would ask you after I was certain nothing…dangerous is down there anymore."

"I don't think there is anything else, but then again, the Chamber itself has been a myth for a long time," Dumbledore mused.

"If you deem it safe enough for Severus, he may go, but only if you and Hermione are with him, AND he promises to obey you to the letter." He gave the child a semi-stern glance although he wasn't too worried. Severus generally obeyed. The occasional bouts of mischief he got into were more the result of his inquisitive and adventurous nature than of outright disobedience. Albus did his best to remain in denial about a period during the terrible two's when it had been a daily struggle to even get the child into his clothes.

Albus suddenly snickered. "Does Molly even plan on letting you go?"

Harry blushed. Their stay at the Weasley household had been pleasant but somewhat…smothering. Molly clearly intended to spoil them rotten and only occasional intervention from Arthur had kept Harry and Phoebe from being killed by kindness.

_Harry had just been brought in by Healers who, despite his protests, had refused to let their patient make his own way to the Burrow. Molly had cleared out Percy's old room for Harry and Phoebe, with the adjoining room that used to belong to Charlie as a private sitting room of sorts. With all the children moved out, the house that had at one time seemed cramped was now overly large for two people had it not been for the frequent overnight stays from one or more of their offspring. Yet another room had been reserved for Albus and Severus on those occasions that they wanted to spend the night. _

"_Come, come," Molly ushered in the Healers who together levitated the stretcher with Harry in perfect harmony, making sure the movements were smooth and flawless._

"_In here, put him in the bed," she fluffed up the pillows a bit more. _

"_Ohhh, I've been in bed for ages," Harry complained, "I don't want to be in bed, I want to sit with you and Arthur downstairs and have a butterbeer to celebrate that I'm still alive."_

_This was the wrong thing to say, as it set Molly off. She burst into tears and hugged him, gently but still a true Weasley hug. Arthur and Phoebe finally had to pry her off. Arthur had suggested that Harry rest for an hour to recover from the journey and then he would personally levitate him downstairs for that butterbeer._

"She's not happy, and insists I need more recovery time. But honestly, Albus, I haven't felt this good in my life. I've never been so properly fed and taken care of. Phoebe and I are extremely grateful and I needed it, but now we have to go back. Besides, it won't be long now before Ron and Ginny come home…"

Albus frowned. The two had finished their time in the States and while their first year there had been difficult by all accounts, the rapports that had come in later were all positive.

"I hope they turned their lives around," he said, "I really do. They are young people and they deserve a second chance…"

He checked himself when he noticed the little boy he still held was listening closely.

"Who is Ron and Ginny, Granddad?"

"They are Aunt Molly's youngest children, the brother and sister of Fred and George," Harry answered, "They've been away for a long time and are coming home this summer."

Severus was sufficiently distracted by the mention of Fred and George not to question the imminent arrival of these people.

"Fred says I can help in the shop!" he jumped up and down on Dumbledore's arm, cheering, "and George says I can help customers and show them jokes!"

"Yes, you may. The twins have promised you can spend the day with them on Saturday. Again, like I just said…"

"I must not do things on my own and I must mind FrednGeorge," Severus said solemnly, his little chin bobbing up and down as he repeated his grandfather's conditions.

"Excellent," Dumbledore cuddled the child and blew on his tummy, eliciting giggles, "now go on, go tell Aunt Molly that Harry and Granddad are coming inside soon and would really like a cup of tea."

As the boy sprinted off, Gandalf on his heels, Albus turned to his returning professor. "Do you think I am overprotective of him?" he asked, "my precious boy…I don't know what I would do…"

A hand patted his arm. "Albus, you just agreed that Severus can come to the Chamber of Secrets with me. That is hardly overprotective."

"Once it is cleared, cleaned and thoroughly checked," the Headmaster remarked, "it will be an adventure for Severus but hardly dangerous. I am going to send a group of House elves with you to clean. By the time Severus can go it will just be a large room."

"Yes," Harry swung his legs over the side of the hammock, "It is a shame that I never thought of going back there before. I am sure Professor Snape would have had a great time with basilisk ingredients."

"He would have locked himself in his dungeons and wouldn't be seen for weeks," Dumbledore agreed, "I would have been forced to break down his wards and drag him out again."

Harry sniggered. "Again?"

"Believe me, Severus could be really obsessive when it came to potions. It has happened more than once that I had to physically drag him up to my tower, force him to bathe, eat and sleep. The next day I would give him a lecture on the need to take proper care of himself, he'd apologise and promise it wouldn't happen again. Of course, it always did happen again…" Albus smiled fondly, "my stubborn boy."

"I'm sorry I never got to know that side of him. I wonder what Junior will do later. If he will become a Potions Master as well."

"I am not sure. He does not show any particular interest in the subject as of yet, but that may change. It does not matter to me. He can join the Ministry if he so wishes. The task I gave myself is to make sure he will be happy."

"Oh, I think you are doing a great job there," Harry nodded towards the house where they could here the giggles coming from a window as Arthur was hopping around the kitchen with Severus on his shoulders, "he's a perfectly normal, playful little boy. I am amazed sometimes how little he actually looks like Professor Snape."

Dumbledore squinted. "His nose has obviously not been broken and has not been neglected to set properly. His hair does get greasy, but I had a special shampoo made for that. Severus as a child was all bones and skin, I think that makes the most difference. Junior is still a slender child, but he's got some meat on his bones, and a nice tan even this early in the year."

Harry stretched his arms above his head and looked at Albus with twinkling eyes. "I'm looking forward to coming back to Hogwarts, Albus – Phoebs and I have even already toyed with the idea of starting our own family. DON'T tell Molly – there's no way of knowing how she'd react."

ssssssssssss

A few weeks later found Harry, Phoebe, Hermione, Dobby and another dozen house elves in the vast dirty space that was Salazar's Chamber.

All of them instinctively cast Bubblehead Charms as the smell hit their nostrils.

"Eeewww," Hermione voiced the general opinion, "I say let's cut it up, take what we can use and dispose of it as quickly as we can."

"We should find a way to preserve the skeleton," Phoebe mused, "It would make great educational material."

"We could put it on display in the Great Hall," Harry agreed.

The others stared at him as if he'd gone insane, so he coughed, donned his dragonhide gloves and began the extremely unpleasant task of disembowelling a basilisk.

Hermione, carrying a crate with all sorts of charmed jars, pots, phials and the like set to helping him while Phoebe lectured the house elves on the virtues of self preservation over self sacrifice, especially when cleaning Dens of Evil.

It took them the whole day, but finally they were done. The Basilisk was de-boned, the ingredients gathered, the rotting flesh banished and the Chamber itself thoroughly searched and cleaned. The skeleton was brought up carefully by the House Elves, who consulted with a somewhat flabbergasted Albus Dumbledore on where to put it on display.

Their desire for a long hot bath drove the party to their rooms sooner than they'd thought, and Harry promised to take Severus to the Chamber in the morning so they could explore it.

"It's time I set an English password anyway," Harry smirked that evening as he rolled over to kiss his wife goodnight.

**A/N Alright, short chapter. I know. I just thought I'd post something to show you I really haven't abandoned this fic. **


	31. Chapter 31

**Potions To Pram, Part II – the Hogwarts Years.**

A/N: We're skipping a few years. Don't worry, all of you who adore Wee!Severus; he'll appear from time to time in flashbacks.

sssssssssssss

Hogwarts' History Professor scanned the platform. Although Voldemort had been dead for many years now and the Wizarding World was peaceful, as soon as he joined the staff he had insisted on providing better safety for the students, and that included the presence of at least two adult wizards on the Express.

Time had flown indeed, he smiled softly to himself. Today his godson would be making his first trip on the train, get Sorted, attend his first classes. Although Severus had lived at Hogwarts all his life this was just as exciting for him as for any other student.

In the seven years since he had recovered from the near-fatal curse, Severus had grown from adorable toddler to eleven-year-old boy. With many loving 'relatives' near him, the infant had become a confident, happy child, a devoted big 'brother' to Harry and Phoebe's three children. Harry smiled wryly. It was no surprise to anyone that Harry's third child and only girl so far would steal Severus' heart, with her close resemblance to the grandmother she never knew. Little Lily, nearly two years old, with her red hair and green eyes had wrapped Severus around her tiny fingers from the moment she opened her eyes and filled her diaper when the boy held her, mere hours after her birth. Severus loved Harry's two sons like he would annoying, cute little brothers, but Lily was his uncontested favourite.

"Uncle Harry?" the black-haired boy looked up at him, "Nick and Alex are here."

Nicolas and Alexander had been Severus' friends since playgroup – after Phoebe had convinced Albus that Severus needed children his own age around whether or not Albus liked playgroups – and the boys had planned to sit together on the train ride. Nicolas, like Severus, would be going for the first time. Alexander, a year older than the other two, would be starting his second year.

"Go on, then," Harry smiled, "have fun. Professor Lupin and I will be patrolling later, but we have developed an unfortunate illness this morning – I'm afraid we have become completely unable to see how many sweets certain young first years purchase from the trolley later on."

He dropped a few coins into the boy's hands, "Of course, certain parties should be wise enough not to let slip this information to my wife or Professor McGonagall…"

"I am sure the people involved are very aware discretion is the better part of valour," solemn dark eyes with just the tiniest hint of a twinkle in them regarded him warmly, "thank you, Uncle Harry. Can…can I still come visit you and Aunt Phoebe? Or do I have to wait until the holidays?"

Fear tinged the young voice and Harry pulled him to his side for a moment. "Of course not, silly boy. There will be plenty of downsides to being the Headmaster's grandson and a professor's godson, so enjoy the perks whenever you can."

"Will you be disappointed if I don't make Slytherin?" Severus asked with a worried frown.

"I will be proud of you regardless of your House," Harry proclaimed with so much certainty that the boy blushed, "you just be yourself and let the Hat do its job."

"My father was a Slytherin," the boy muttered, "Wouldn't he want me in his House?"

They had told the boy that his father had been Severus Snape, and that he died when Severus was three weeks old, after which he came to live with his grandfather. He had also been told that his father had been a spy and that was the reason no one, not even the Headmaster, knew who his mother was, but that she died as well. It was a rotten lie, Harry thought bitterly, but better than giving the child false hope that he could one day meet his mother when Eileen Prince had been resting in her grave for over three decades already.

"Your father was a Slytherin," Harry confirmed, "and the bravest man I knew. Regardless, you should not feel like you have to please someone. If you start doing that, it will become impossible all too soon, since your grandfather and I were both Gryffindors. So is Aunt Minerva and Professor Lovegood is of course a Ravenclaw. We want you to go where you'll be happiest, not where you think you should go to please the most of us."

The boy smiled, reassured.

"Granddad says Fiona will come and give workshops sometimes," he suddenly remembered, brightening, "that will be fun, won't it, Uncle Harry?"

"It certainly will be," Harry nodded happily. Fiona had left Hogwarts five years ago at age fifteen, one of the youngest to finish her NEWTS. After a four-year apprenticeship, she was now a highly valued researcher in the Department of Mysteries. She had always acted like an older cousin to Severus, and kept in contact after school. Severus was fond of her, especially since she took him to work with her and showed him the non-classified projects she and her colleagues were working on.

"Now get on the train, Sev, or you'll miss it," Harry squeezed the dark clad shoulder, robes not yet bearing a House insignia.

"We'll see you later," he waved to the three boys as they found a compartment and settled in.

ssssssssssssss

Severus and his friends chatted excitedly – Severus lived at Hogwarts and Nicolas had often visited him, but they were still excited to be going. Soon though, Alexander left to catch up with some of his year mates.

A small, pale boy entered, dragging a trunk. "Can I sit here?"

"Of course," Nicolas and Severus helped him hoist the trunk into the luggage racks.

"I'm Severus," Severus extended his hand.

"And I'm Nicolas, but everyone calls me Nick," his friend said, also shaking the boys hand.

"I'm Cedric," The smaller boy replied, "are you first years too?"

"Yes, aren't you excited to be going finally?"

Cedric nodded vigorously. "I've been waiting for my letter for YEARS! I really wanted to go. Mum and Dad almost didn't let me, but Professor McGonagall persuaded them. What about you?"

"Oh, I couldn't wait either, especially last year when my brother started," Nick said happily.

Severus grinned. "I've lived at Hogwarts all my life, so it's going to be strange being a student."

"You LIVED at Hogwarts?" Cedric gushed, "Oh, wait! You must be Professor Dumbledore's grandson."

"Yes, I am," Severus made a face, "so no rule-breaking for me. Anyone who catches me will first give me detention as a professor and then tell me off as relatives. But I get to see my family a lot more, too, of course."

Cedric shrugged. "I don't mind being away from my family for a while. It's not that Mum and Dad are mean to me, but they won't let me DO anything…and it's hard to live up to their expectations. Woe betide me if I'm not a Hufflepuff."

"What do you mean?" Severus asked.

Cedric sighed. "My older brother died years before I was born. I guess Mum and Dad finally decided to have another child when they were already quite old because they hoped for another Cedric…my brother's name was Cedric, too," he explained.

"That's sick," Nick commented, "They can't expect you to be just like your brother!"

"Well, they do. All I've ever heard in my life is 'Cedric didn't do that', or 'Cedric would have done this,' or 'Cedric did exactly that when he was your age'. I'm sure he was a great guy and all, but he's DEAD. I guess they expected him to reincarnate into me."

At that moment Harry stuck his head around the corner.

"Hey kids, don't worry, just making my rounds. I haven't met you, I think," he beamed at the unknown boy, "Another first year, eh? I am Professor Potter, your History of Magic teacher."

The boy gulped, but stuck out his hand. "Hello, Professor Potter. I've heard a lot about you. My name is Cedric Diggory."

sssssssssssssss

"But Albus!" Harry hissed, "they named him for his brother! That can't be healthy!"

"I'm sure it isn't, Harry, but what can we do?" Phoebe patted her husband's hand, "the boy is here now, away from all that pressure for a bit."

"Is he?" Harry asked sceptically, "there are plenty here who remember Cedric. Hell, I thought I'd faint when he told me his name."

"That's only logical, Harry," Phoebe soothed, "It took you a long time to get over Cedric's death, and you were unprepared. Just try to refrain from making the same mistake as the boy's parents."

The Headmaster nodded. "We will keep an eye on the boy. I apologise, Harry, for not informing you of the child's arrival this year. It was very inconsiderate of me, I should have realized the memories that name would bring back for you."

The sincere regret caused any anger Harry felt to melt, though he inwardly shook his head at the Diggorys.

"There's Severus," Phoebe whispered excitedly, and just barely refrained from waving, "oh, look Albus, he's so big already…a Hogwarts student…"

Dumbledore coughed and pretended to clean his glasses with his napkin. "Yes…yes he is."

Then he got up and smiled happily.

"Welcome, all. Professor Lovegood, if you would…"

Luna, in charge of the Sorting, wrestled her way through the throng of students and beamed at them.

"Hello munchkins," she nodded appreciatively, and it was testament to her powerful, if somewhat unorthodox aura that none of the children took offence, "See this stool and hat? You're to sit on the stool and put on the Hat…be sure to get it right, it would be ever so awkward if you did it the other way around, wouldn't it? Though it wouldn't really matter if you did. I'm sure a stool can Sort just as efficiently as a Hat. It's just that Godric Gryffindor never wore stools…"

A small cough from the staff table made her look around quizzically. "Lemon drop, Headmaster?" she offered, "that's a nasty cough. You should have it looked at."

"Now, where was I," she mused. "Oh yes. So you sit on the stool and put on the Hat when I call your name. Those of you whose names begin with P through Z, sit on the floor and relax, it'll be a while before it is your turn. Alright. Let's start. Alvin Branner."

A burly boy with brown curls came forward and was summarily Sorted into Gryffindor.

Severus and Cedric hadn't bothered sitting down, their names being at the very front of the alphabet, but Nicolas Yvantes started a game of Nine Men's Morris with Jarod Zabini using peas and beans from the tables.

Cedric was up fairly soon and sat under the Hat for a very long time. Severus didn't need a lot of imagination to understand what was going on there. Finally, the Hat seemed to have enough of the argument and snapped "SLYTHERIN, and that's final!"

White as chalk and nearly fainting, Cedric made his way to the Slytherin table, where a prefect immediately took him under his wing – Harry's efforts to build a strong and unified House had started paying off a long time ago.

Severus had just time for a sympathetic smile before he himself was called.

"Severus Dumbledore." None of the older students reacted with surprise – the seventh years had seen him run around the castle since he was five years old.

"Ah! Young Severus," the Hat seemed delighted, "Finally. I have been looking forward to this moment for a long, long time. Let me see…oooh! No preference? That's not something I see often! Makes my job all the more interesting. Your friend Cedric made a lot of effort to persuade me…"

"That's not his fault," Severus thought, "I'm not sure I'm angry that you put him in Slytherin because he will get in trouble with his parents, or glad that you didn't put him in Hufflepuff like his brother."

"Well, yes, it was tough," the Hat admitted, "it would be good if you could stay friends. He needs friends now. Anyway, we are Sorting YOU now. Let me see. Without doubt you could be a Slytherin though not as strongly as..."

"As?"

"As your father," the Hat said with finality, "he was the epitome of Slytherin. You, however, have been brought up very differently, and it shows. Ravenclaw wouldn't be a bad option – you have quite the agile mind. I wouldn't recommend Hufflepuff or Gryffindor. I know you value them, which is good, but to actually live with Hufflepuff and Gryffindor teens would drive you to insanity, my boy."

"I don't know," Severus thought, "Both Slytherin and Ravenclaw would suit me. I can be cunning and ambitious, I suppose, but I can be cunning and ambitious everywhere. At any rate, advertising that you are cunning sort of defeats the purpose, doesn't it? Besides, it may serve me well enough to get me out of trouble with anyone but Granddad, but it's not exactly my passion."

"No, that is true. You would only go to Slytherin to be with your friend Cedric, but that is not a good enough reason. With the efforts of the past decade, the Houses are finally united and the separation is only in name. You'll be able to spend all the time you wish with friends from all Houses. You are correct that the studious and intellectual environment of Ravenclaw suits you better. So, it's settled. RAVENCLAW!"

As Severus walked towards his House table, he was shocked at the many transactions in galleons being made at the Staff table. Even Professor Lovegood halted the Sorting for a few moments while she collected her winnings from some very chagrined looking colleagues.


	32. Chapter 32

Harry walked into the Slytherin Common Room after the party that night for his usual chat with the first years. The Prefects had already assembled them on the couches and provided stomach soothers for the ones that had eaten a few too many sweets. The children looked content, drowsy and relaxed.

"Hey all," Harry greeted them brightly.

"Good evening, Professor Potter," they chorused as the Prefects had instructed.

Harry glanced at the smirking Prefects and made a shooing gesture at them, returning their grin.

"I thought we'd do a quick introduction and I explain some of the rules before you go to bed," he smiled, "I am indeed Professor Potter, of course, your Head of House as well as your History of Magic Professor. That means that whenever you have a problem, you can come to me and we'll try to work it out together, alright?

Solemn faces nodded and he continued.

"I've heard your names at the Sorting, and of course our secretary, who happens to be my wife, provided me with this helpful list," he waved a piece of parchment covered in crayon.

"Unfortunately, my daughter got her tiny hands on it," he admitted ruefully, making the children giggle.

"Anyway, in the next week I will speak with all of you. I will send you all an invitation tomorrow morning. Also, I've made a few maps and directions for you so you won't get lost in this huge castle, but if you get lost somehow, ask a prefect or fellow student. If you ask them politely, the ghosts and paintings are always willing to help you out. Are any of you Muggleborn or Muggle raised?"

Two hands went up into the air. Harry smiled at them.

"So was I, raised by Muggles," he told them, "and I felt nearly overwhelmed my first weeks here. You have all gotten our 'Merlin, I've got Magic' booklet, haven't you?"

The two, a boy and a girl, nodded.

"Good. Still, once you are actually here you will undoubtedly run into things you don't expect or understand. That is perfectly normal, and you'll see that you will get used to it sooner than you think. This first week, the Prefects will help you, see you to your classes if necessary and answer your questions."

"Unlike the Gryffindors, we do not have shared dorm rooms anymore. Each has two separate areas, one for boys and one for girls. They consist of a small room for each of you, and a living room of sorts. You are expected to keep your own room tidy and take turns cleaning the living room. If I get complaints from the House Elves that you are not doing that, your entire group will get detention until everything is practically sterile. Ask the Third Year boys – they know exactly how fussy I can be about that."

"Lights out is at 10 for you, 11 on weekends. You must be in your dorm by nine during the week. If you ever need to stay up late to finish an assignment, tell a Prefect and you will be allowed to work in the Common Room. I expect that to be an exception, however. If it happens more than three times in a term we will have a chat about your study habits. You need your sleep. Especially in the first year doing magic will take a lot of energy. The more sleep deprived you become, the weaker your magic."

"When I studied here, professors were allowed to set assignments indiscriminately. Since then, we have made the rule that the professors discuss the homework they plan on setting in advance at the teacher meetings so you will be able to finish all assignments and still have free time. No one is perfect in every subject – at least not since my friend Hermione attended Hogwarts, so do help each other. Befriend a Ravenclaw, that's always a good idea."

He waited for the laughter to die before continuing on the topic.

"Mix with the other Houses. We have several clubs that you can join. See your fellow students as persons in their own right, with their own strengths and weaknesses rather than House stereotypes. You may have heard stories how Slytherins were regarded a decade and more ago. We do not want to return to that situation. We have worked hard to achieve a sense of unity in this school and want to keep it that way."

"You will come into conflicts with other students, of that I have no doubt. Where so many people live together, conflicts are bound to arise. Most of the time you will be able to work them out yourselves. That is good – it strengthens your character and teaches you to work with people you do not necessarily like, just as you will have to later in life. Conflicts should not escalate and descend into vendettas. Again, I am your Head of House, and I am here to help you, so come to me or talk to the Prefects."

"On a final note: Bullying is not allowed, not ever. If someone bullies you, come to me immediately, no matter who it is. If I catch you bullying someone else, you are in a world of trouble, because that is one thing I will not stand for."

He smiled warmly at the children. "I'm sure you will do fine and become excellent witches and wizards. Now, off to bed with you. You'll have an exciting day tomorrow. Goodnight all."

ssssssssssssss

When Harry came up to the Headmaster's tower to report that his Slytherins were doing fine, he wasn't awfully surprised to find Albus in front of a mirror showing a sleeping dark haired boy.

"Spying on him already, Albus?" he asked, half amused and half irritated.

"He is perfectly aware of what I am doing," the Headmaster replied, "The cheeky little brat even waved at me before he went to sleep."

"You know, you will have to let him go sometime," Harry reminded the old man, "He's not even left the castle. He's no further away than when he sleeps over with us."

"I know," Dumbledore sighed, "but look at him! He's going to Hogwarts again – my little boy. What if I can't change things for him, Harry? I can't bear to see him go through all that misery again…"

Harry looked stunned. Rarely did the Headmaster even suggest that Severus was anything but his grandson, the son of his former Potions Master.

"I haven't spoken to Luna yet, but I am certain she will do anything to make him happy in his new House," Harry smiled at the peacefully sleeping face, "things will be different because the school is different, you are different, and over the years Severus has become different. Does he look anything like that first year that was Sorted into Slytherin so long ago?"

"No," the Headmaster admitted, "he looks nothing like him."

"And this time, he's had a family to love him. A little unorthodox family, perhaps, but that is not uncommon after the war. Many children were raised in families that didn't have the typical Mum, Dad, kids setting. An unfortunate result of the war…" he sighed.

"Do you remember, when Severus was very small, you would sometimes wrap him in a blanket and hold him?"

Dumbledore smiled softly.

_In the first two or three years after Severus's de-aging, he had often thought of and missed his son, his sharp intellect and sarcastic wit. Even though he had the child with him, their relationship would be far different from the bond he had with Severus. At times, when such thoughts overwhelmed him, he would go to the child's room and take the baby from his cot._

_Harry had caught him more than once, sitting in the rocking chair in Severus's room, with the child sleeping in his arms, wrapped warmly in a blanket. Often the little hand would reach up in his sleep to grab a fistful of beard. _

_He remembered the innocent features, the long dark lashes resting lightly on the cheeks, the dark fluffy hair that smelled of baby shampoo. He would rock the baby for hours sometimes, breathing in his scent and swearing that his future would be bright and happy. That he would not allow his child to be hurt that much again. _

_Once or twice he had sat like that until dawn. Severus generally woke up at least once to sigh deeply, recognize his granddad and nestle into the warm robes and beard, his face almost hidden against Dumbledore's chest._

_Even when the boy grew older, he had sometimes cuddled the child close when something – a smell, a thought, or a passing remark – reminded him of the child he had lost. Often Severus had protested and squirmed away, but when he was just like this – sleepy and feeling safe, he had allowed and even enjoyed his place in his granddad's arms, being rocked and sang to._

ssssssssssssssss

The next morning, Severus woke up, a bit confused about the familiar-yet-different surroundings. Then it hit him. He was a Hogwarts student now! Excited, he jumped out of bed. Even though he'd been at Hogwarts all his life, now he would really learn magic! Some forms of it seemed to come instinctively to him, but Granddad had told him it would be best to wait in training that until he was in school. He stretched lazily. Yesterday evening, Professor Lovegood had given them their time tables. Transfiguration was first with…Professor McGonagall, as he had to get used to calling her. Then Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Lupin and in the afternoon Potions. He wouldn't have a class with Uncle Harry until Wednesday, that was too bad.

"Morning," Nicholas when he walked into the Common Room a little later, "we're waiting for the Prefects to take us all down to breakfast. They did give us this handy little maps, but they said the first time can be a bit overwhelming, so they'd take us down."

But they soon discovered that the Prefects weren't even necessary. Professor Lovegood had come to the Common Room herself.

"Goodmorning," she nearly sang, "isn't it a lovely day to start your education? I remember my own first day…but of course that is long ago. If you get lost, don't hesitate to ask anyone. The portraits and ghosts are all used to giving lost students directions…oh dear me, where IS my wand?"

Severus snickered. Aunt Luna often stuck her wand behind her ear but tended to forget about it later on.

"It's behind your ear, Professor," Nicholas politely pointed out.

"Oh yes, of course it is. Now, you all have your timetables and your bags? Maps and instructions how to get to each classroom? Lets go then."

Severus, of course, knew the castle inside out, but he was glad Aunt Luna didn't call him on that. It was going to be awkward enough being the Headmaster's grandson without being considered a tour guide by his classmates.

"So, you're the Headmaster's grandson, aren't you?" a girl named Natasha wanted to know.

"Yes," Severus replied, "That's just going to be wonderful the first time I get detention."

Around him, the other first years grimaced in sympathy and the issue was dispensed with. Following their eccentric Head of House and the Prefects to breakfast, they wondered what this first day would bring.

sssssssssss

Late that afternoon, when classes were over with, the Heads of House met in the Headmaster's tower.

"How is everything so far?" the old man twinkled happily.

"Fine," Minerva McGonagall responded, "My Gryffindors are doing well, and the first transfiguration classes were suitably stunned by my Animagus form. The children all did well enough – though I am concerned about Severus."

"I agree," Luna nodded, "Remus and Hermione have said the same thing."

"What? Is anything wrong with him?" Harry and Albus both asked in unison.

"Not at all. In fact, he did very well – the only one to transfigure his match into a needle. He earned Ravenclaw ten points for that," Minerva replied, "but that is exactly what worries me. Severus has his adult magic, Albus. We've tried to teach him to control it over the years, but now that he will actively be using it, it's like a muscle that's been neglected – soon it will be trained again, and he will have access to that formidable strength he had twelve years ago. He is so excited about learning magic, I'm afraid that telling him to slow down is not an option."

"According to Hermione, he is an absolutely brilliant potions student. Of course he still has to consult the books for instructions, as he does not remember the brewing process, but the genius he had, the instinctive knowledge, that is not lost," Luna reported. "If we can direct his attention mostly to that, something that requires no wandwaving and can easily be disguised as talent, I see no problems right now."

She beamed happily. "My Ravenclaws are doing fine. As usual, the First Years need some time to get to know their way around the castle, but they've done well so far. The ghosts are most helpful."

Albus snickered. "Well, just tell Severus to help them and they'll be fine. He knows his way around."

Luna shook her head decidedly. "I most certainly will not."

Considering the matter closed, she leaned back and waited for the next point on the agenda. When it didn't come, she glanced around at the shocked faces.

"Oh! You want to know why."

"If you please, Miss Lovegood," the Headmaster said in exasperation.

"It is the Prefect's job to help the younger students get around," Luna said calmly, "Severus is a first year, with an advantage, that is true but a first year none the less. If he decides to help out his fellow students he is to be commended for it, but I will not lay it on him as a duty. His school years must be as close to normal as possible. It will be hard enough already with all of us around him. That is why I propose, Headmaster, that all disciplinary actions concerning Severus will come to me, as his Head of House. His godfather and his granddad should be kept out of that as much as possible to prevent any more confusion of roles than what is already taking place."

For one moment it seemed the others would all jump up in protest, but then Harry spoke up. "I agree."

He shrugged. "Luna usually knows what she's doing."


	33. Chapter 33

A/N Sorry for the long delay

**A/N Sorry for the long delay! I'm working on updating all stories. **

Severus eagerly made his way to his advanced Potions class. Professor Granger had allowed him and a few other of the top students to enter an advanced class, fearing that the material on the regular first year curriculum would bore them. Truth be told, it did. She had put them on an accelerated program that would enable them to take their OWL a year, or perhaps even two earlier. They could then take the NEWT in their OWL year, she had promised, if they worked hard.

All subjects taught were fun, in Severus's opinion, but Potions was his absolute favourite. Uncle Harry made history fun to learn, even though he had to admit he already knew most of their material. Uncle Harry had read so many children's history books to him over the years that he had a distinct advantage to the others in his class. Far from his classmates resenting that, it made him a very popular homework helper, and Uncle Harry provided a list of extra credit assignments each term.

Transfiguration, Charms and DADA gave him no trouble at all. The magic seemed to flow from his wand freely. Care of Magical Creatures, however, was not as easy. The theory was alright, but he had huge trouble getting the creatures to trust him. Even the Centaurs looked at him strangely and either broke out in hushed whispers, or made vague allusions to all sorts of solar systems.

A sniffling brought him from his muses. Against the wall, held there by two larger boys, was a small Hufflepuff girl.

"Look at the ickle firstie crying," one of the boys, a second-year Gryffindor, taunted. "Give us your money."

"I don't have any," the girl replied fearfully, "I'll tell a professor that you hurt me…"

"You do that, little punk, and you can be sure no one will ever talk to you again!" the other boy threatened.

"Your homework will disappear…"

"Your things will be ruined…"

"Your pet will be found killed, perhaps…"

The girl yelped. "Don't you touch my cat," she kicked one of the boys in a very sensitive area.

"You little shit!" the other boy raised his hand to hit the girl.

"HEY! You leave her alone!" Severus snarled, stalking up to the trio, his robes billowing behind him. "Put her down NOW."

"Well, well, if it isn't the Headmasters grandson. What are you going to do about it? Run to granpa? Coward."

"Don't call me coward!" Severus's eyes flashed angrily.

The boy punched him in the stomach unexpectedly, giving the girl a chance to escape.

"Shit, she'll run to a professor," the now slightly recovered boy moaned.

"Yes, well – we can still remodel this one's face," his friend hit Severus in the eye.

That was it. Severus flung himself at the older boy and started pummelling, until the boy was sporting several scratches and a bloody nose.

"Get him!" he yelled to his friend, who seized Severus's arms and pinned them behind his back. The other boy raised his fist to beat the now helpless Ravenclaw.

"What is this?" a voice said. Professor Lovegood appeared, accompanied by the Hufflepuff girl.

"P-Professor," the boys quickly released Severus, "he started it. He broke my nose!"

The Ravenclaw Head of House surveyed the mess of children. "Off to the hospital wing with you. I'll escort you there."

In the end, all boys were fixed up by the grumbling nurse, and the two Gryffindor second-years had received a week of detentions. With Professor Potter. Who had no tolerance or patience at all for bullies. They nearly burst into tears at the very thought.

"I know, I shouldn't have fought," Severus started before Aunt Luna could home in on him, "but if I had run for help, they would have beaten up HER," he pointed out.

"I know," Professor Lovegood nodded, "but you will still receive a detention. Tomorrow night, with me. There may be ginger newts involved, so do take care not to overeat on dinner," she added before sweeping out of the room.

The Hufflepuff girl smiled shyly at Severus. "Thank you so much," she managed, "do you…I had better send my cat home," she sighed.

Severus shook his head. "If you ask Professor Lovegood or your own Head of House, they'll know plenty of charms to protect your cat and your things," he suggested, "I'm sure they'll be happy to cast them for you."

"Oh, I will!" the girl smiled brightly, "thank you again, Severus."

sssssssssss

Severus quietly ate his dinner that night. The two Gryffindors avoided him, but he was quite sure they had some things to say about the fight. His grandfather swept by the House tables and took his customary seat.

"Hey Dumbledore!" one of the older Ravenclaws called over, "heard you got into a fight today."

Severus nodded.

"Protecting a Hufflepuff firstie, right?" the boy continued in a more quiet voice, and he nodded again.

"Well good for you," was the only comment. Most of the house sent him approving looks. The Hufflepuff table seemed to be sending grateful glances as well. Slytherin, who had missed all of the commotion, seemed to be filled in on the situation by Severus's friend Cedric.

All the attention was a bit much for Severus. He looked at his family at the Head table, but to his surprise, his grandfather seemed to be angry about something. Severus decided this was not a good day and he had better retire early.

Just as he was on his way back to his dorm from the library, his grandfather stopped him.

"I am very disappointed in you, Severus."

Severus realized with a jolt that the Headmaster was angry with HIM.

"I heard you have fought today and sent two boys to the infirmary. I have never been so ashamed of you!" Dumbledore chastised the child.

"But Granddad…" Severus made to protest.

"Quiet! I expected better from you. It seems this Christmas holidays you will be staying here in the castle instead of going on a holiday with me," the old wizard decreed.

Severus looked devastated. "Please, Granddad, you don't understand…"

"Not another word, Severus," the Headmaster was already on his way to his office, "you don't want to get into more trouble than you already are."

The harsh words left Severus reeling with shock. The Christmas holidays had always been the time when he and his granddad went out on a short trip, together. When no one disturbed them, not even by Owl, and everyone knew that those few days were sacred to the two. Tears began to form in the dark eyes. Why had his grandfather been so mean?

He quickly went back to his dorm and climbed into bed, not wanting the others to see him cry. Still, his pillow was wet when he finally slept that night.

The next day, he did not bother with breakfast. The Professors shot glances at him throughout the day for the lack of his normal attentiveness, and only Cedric's efforts kept their potion together during Professor Grangers class. He skipped both lunch and dinner.

It was three minutes to eight when he remembered his detention with his Head of House. Fortunately her office was just down the hall from the Ravenclaw tower, and he barely made it in time.

"Hello, Severus," the Professor greeted him, shoving a sandwich in his direction. "You haven't eaten all day, you must be hungry."

"Not really," he muttered, picking at the sandwich.

"Hmmm," the Divinations teacher replied vaguely, giving him time.

"Granddad is really angry with me," Severus finally offered after fifteen minutes.

"Oh? How come?"

"He heard I was in a fight. He told me he was disappointed in me and he is ashamed of me. And he said I'm not allowed to come on our Christmas trip." Tears started again and he pressed his hands to his eyes as if he could physically push them back.

He failed to see the slight frown that formed on the Professor's face. Finally he got himself under control and opened his eyes again. A goblet of juice appeared in front of him.

"Drink this," his teacher ordered, "dehydration is a terrible thing. For one, it leaves you awfully susceptible to Nargles. I will be back shortly."

Luna quickly walked up to the Headmaster's office and entered calmly.

"Miss Lovegood, how may I help you?" the Headmaster offered a lemon drop.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Luna accepted the treat, "A first year Hufflepuff has been bullied. It appears the boys threatened to kill her cat and demolish her possessions if she told a professor. It would be wonderful if a charm could be placed on the animal and her trunk to keep them safe. She is quite distraught over the possibility of harm coming to her pet."

"Naturally, naturally," the Headmaster nodded, "I will cast them myself if you wish. It was brave of the girl to tell a professor despite the threat."

"She felt she had no choice," the witch stole another lemon drop from the bowl on his desk, "another student came to her aid, and when the bullies turned to him, she managed to escape and find me. When I arrived, the second year boys were about to completely beat up the younger boy."

Dumbledore's eyes very slowly started to lose their twinkle.

"Of course I took all three to the infirmary. The two Gryffindors will be doing detention with Professor Potter for a week. I gave Severus a detention with me, which he is currently serving by drinking his juice and eating a sandwich, considering he skipped all meals today."

The Headmaster looked at her in distress.

"As you can see, this is why I wanted your agreement that I would handle all school-related disciplinary actions against Severus," Luna commented, as she suckled on her sixth lemon drop.

Dumbledore rubbed his forehead. "I made a grave mistake," he concluded painfully.

"I was so upset when I heard about the fight – All I could think of was that last time he was eleven, he got into his first fight this early in the year as well…"

"And you reacted in exactly the same way you did then," Luna pointed out. "It isn't so much Severus who needed to change to make his school years better, Headmaster."

She leaned back into her chair. "Severus is in my office. Leave the lemon drops and Fawkes here for company, and I am certain I shall not need my office for some time."

ssssssssss

Severus had dutifully finished his juice and taken a bite of the sandwich when the door opened again.

"I did drink it all, Aunt Luna…"he trailed off as he turned around and saw his grandfather.

Dumbledore swallowed. The spike of fear on the young face was also something he distinctly remembered.

"Severus," he said softly, "Child, I am so sorry."

The dark eyes met his with a little hope. He opened his arms, and it barely took a breath for Severus to cling to him, his head hidden in his grandfather's robes.

Locking the door behind him to protect Severus's eleven-year-old dignity, Dumbledore sat in one of the chairs and pulled his grandson in his lap, rocking him slightly.

"I just wanted to help her, I didn't mean to end up in a fight," Severus's small voice wafted up from the folds of lurid material.

"I know, and I am very sorry for what I said. It was very wrong of me, even if you HAD deliberately been picking fights. " Albus cuddled the boy as if he were still a toddler, "Can you forgive me?"

Severus nodded and sighed deeply, for once not protesting the closeness. Albus cherished these few moments. From around the time Severus had turned nine, he had not often allowed cuddles and certainly thought it beneath him to sit in his grandfather's lap.

"Do I still have to stay here during Christmas break while you go away?" the child looked up.

"Of course not," the old wizard pulled him close, "I promise I will never threaten to take away our Christmas outing as punishment again. I was very cruel, and to make it up to you I am going to take you and a friend out to the Three Broomsticks for dinner on Saturday. How does that sound?"

"Wicked," the events of the past twenty-four hours had had a deep impact on Severus, and he had no intention for the moment of leaving the safe arms, needing to know that his granddad wasn't angry with him anymore, "can Cedric come?"

"Certainly. I will let Uncle Harry know we are taking Cedric with us."

Silence reigned for a few minutes longer.

"Granddad?"

"Yes?"

"Why did it make you so angry, when you thought I had been fighting? I've been in trouble before and you were never so angry."

Dumbledore kissed the dark head. "I'm afraid that it had more to do with me than with you, little one," he confessed, "it were some very old memories that set it off. It wasn't your fault."

"What kind of memories? Of my father? Everyone says I look like him," Severus eyed him curiously.

"Ah, Severus," Albus sighed, "I'm afraid a full explanation would take a long time, and you would understand little of it." He smiled at the yawn. "I think it's time for bed for you, my boy. Come, I'll walk you to your dorm before I check to see if Aunt Luna has eaten my entire supply of lemon drops."

The Headmaster walked back to his tower ten minutes later, hoping that if he couldn't stop himself from repeating all mistakes of the past, perhaps it was possible to minimize the damage.


	34. Chapter 34

A visit to the Slytherin Head of House, the next afternoon, resulted in Dumbledore being cheerfully greeted by the little Potters, who climbed onto his lap and demanded lemon drops

A visit to the Slytherin Head of House, the next afternoon, resulted in Dumbledore being cheerfully greeted by the little Potters, who climbed onto his lap and demanded lemon drops.

"Boys!" Phoebe chided, "what's the magic word?"

"Please?" two pairs of wide eyes, one brown, one emerald green, were turned to the old man who obediently retrieved some of the candy from his pocket.

"Don't go giving any to Lily!" Phoebe warned, "she's too small. She can have a biscuit."

A little while later, the boys had gone to play outside, and Lily was sitting in Harry's lap, sucking a biscuit and trying to get as much as possible on her Daddy's clothes.

"What's the matter, Albus?" Harry asked brightly, avoiding his daughters' small hand that tried to smear soggy biscuit into his hair.

"I would like to borrow young Mr Diggory on Saturday evening for dinner," Albus requested.

"By all means, go ahead," Harry waved his hand, "as long as I know he's with you it's fine. Where are you taking him?"

Albus looked a little distressed. "I'm taking Severus and Cedric out for dinner on Saturday evening to make up for my appalling behaviour to Severus earlier this week, when he got into that fight."

He launched into the tale of what happened and how Luna had been able to prevent a breech between grandson and grandfather. When he was done, a lone tear trickled into his beard. Little Lily gazed at him in amazement.

"Aby cwy?" she climbed down Harry's lap to comfort the old man with a very sloppy kiss and pieces of extremely unappetizing cookie.

Albus cuddled her gently. "Thank you, darling," he smiled at her but looked up gratefully to Phoebe, who took the little one out of the room to put her down for an afternoon nap.

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "I think, Albus, that you are allowing yourself to be influenced by your memory of Severus's school years. Up until now it was easier because you didn't know Severus before he was eleven, and you could enjoy his childhood relatively free of concern."

He bit his lip. "But now that Severus is in school, you relate everything that happens to your memories of the first time. I think you need to learn to let go of that, and enjoy your grandson's time in school, just as it is now. Otherwise it will be very frustrating for you, and extremely unfair to Severus. You have never reacted to any mischief of his quite so extreme – the poor child must have had the shock of his life."

"He did," the Headmaster sighed, "We are alright now, I think, but it must never happen again. I am glad that this time, I have staff that know me and Severus, who are willing to step in when I make a mistake."

"He's in safe hands with Luna as his Head of House," Harry agreed, "she's as unconventional as ever, but all her Ravenclaws know she would do anything for them. You making up by taking him and Cedric out on Saturday will do him good, too. Oh, since we are exchanging children anyway – could I borrow Severus for a day when you get back from your holiday?"

"Of course," Albus nodded, "are you planning an outing?"

Harry blushed fiercely. "I always wanted to go to a Muggle rollercoaster park," he confessed, "but of course, during the war, I couldn't, the Dursleys would never have taken me, and after the war I was physically incapable. Once I was cured, the kids arrived fairly soon…Phoebe gave me tickets as an early Christmas present. The boys are too young, and I'd like a day out with Severus."

The old wizard smiled happily. "Oh, I'm sure he'll love it. Go right ahead and ask him if he wants to go."

"Did you ever take him?"

Albus shook his head. "I had planned to, but I thought he should go with someone younger…"

Harry gaped as realisation dawned. "You planned for me to go with him! Honestly, Albus, you manipulate like other people breathe! How old was he when you decided I would end up his godfather?"

Dumbledore looked away a tad bit embarrassed. "The day after you arrived here to teach," he admitted.

_The tiny baby gurgled a little, his small hands waving about. The old man held him and laughed as he allowed his index finger to be caught._

_Lifting the baby into the air, the Headmaster rubbed his crooked nose against the soft cheek before sitting down with the child cuddled securely against his shoulder. The pain of losing the Potions Master was lessened a bit, in these difficult days, by the thought that he was finally able to give the infant Severus the affection and love he needed. _

"_I'll get to see you grow up happy this time," he lightly patted the diapered bottom, "and if we're lucky, I'll get to see you become a grown man with a family of his own."_

_He brooded quietly, the baby asleep on his chest._

"_I do have to make sure someone will look after you in case something happens to me. Someone who loves you."_

_A bit depressed Dumbledore realized that so far, there were no candidates available for the position._

"_They will come to love you in time, I'm sure," he took the child in his arms and rocked him as he made his way to the nursery to put him to bed, "if only Harry lost his stubborn streak he would make an excellent guardian. He has so much love in him, and so few people to extend that love to."_

_A yawn was his only response. Severus turned his head a little, tucked a small fist under his chin and drifted off, happy with his current caretaker and unable to share his granddad's concerns._

Harry sighed after Dumbledore related the memory.

"Manipulative old coot," he muttered half affectionately, half exasperated, "you and your Greater Good."

"I've made many mistakes," Dumbledore admitted immediately, "with more people than just Severus. With him, however, I have a very unique opportunity to undo the damage I caused. I failed him this week, but I am still determined to make the most of it."

sssssssss

"Where are we going, Uncle Harry?"

Christmas holidays had officially started an hour ago, and Severus was getting more and more excited. First he would be leaving for two days with Uncle Harry. Then they would celebrate Christmas together with his godparents and most of the regular inhabitants of the castle. On Boxing Day he and his grandfather would leave on a four-day trip. After the few days in which he had thought he would not be allowed, Severus was especially looking forward to it.

The Saturday after the misunderstanding with his grandfather, the Headmaster had taken Cedric and himself to Hogsmeade a little early, and with two galleons pocket money each had allowed them to do some shopping. They did, of course, spent quite some time in Honeydukes buying treats for themselves and their dorm mates. Cedric had at first been quiet and intimidated by the presence of the venerable Headmaster, but when he realized that Albus Dumbledore was present as the grandfather of his friend and not his professor, he relaxed and chatted happily.

Dinner had been nice. Cedric had been to the Three Broomsticks once in a while with his parents, but this was the first time he could relax and enjoy.

"My parents always order for me," he confided in Dumbledore, a bit shy, "they keep telling me what my brother loved to eat and then order the same for me without asking. I HATE shepherd's pie even if Cedric loved it. I like stew with warm rolls."

"Me too," Severus seconded, after a look of sympathy at his friend.

"An excellent choice," Albus agreed with a smile, and ordered three plates of stew and a basket of warm rolls. He eyed the young Slytherin with some concern. He too remembered Cedric Diggory – the elder. While he had been an admirable student, it was wrong to hero-worship him, and certainly damaging to this child to try and mould him into his long-dead brother. Perhaps he ought to have a chat with Amos in the near future, or better yet, ask Arthur Weasley to do so. Amos seemed to respect Arthur.

"You know," Severus announced, "it's kind of confusing that you keep calling your brother and yourself Cedric. Maybe we should give you a nickname."

The other boy's eyes lit up and Dumbledore could have kissed his grandson for the suggestion.

"I'd like that. They always call my brother 'Ced' when they talk about him."

"Well, then we can call you Rick," Severus decided.

The newly christened Rick grinned widely. "Perfect. I think I can even convince my parents to call me that, since it's still part of my name."

The rest of the evening passed amiably and at dessert, both boys got a mischievous look as they handed the Headmaster a package. When the old wizard opened it, it contained a bag of lemon drops that he immediately started on and tried to force upon the boys, the waiter and everyone foolish enough to come near.

"So, where are we going, Uncle Harry?" Severus pulled Harry's sleeve.

"It's a surprise, Junior," Harry affectionately ruffled the dark hair. Albus kept it shorter than it had been before and some Muggle shampoo worked wonders on the natural greasiness.

"We are leaving by plane tomorrow morning," he informed the boy, "I'll Apparate us to Heathrow. Now, off to bed with you, I will come get you at six."

When Severus had said his goodnights and disappeared into his bedroom, in the Headmaster's office now that the holidays had started, Albus curiously eyed Harry.

"Where ARE you going? Disneyland Paris?"

"No, we're just hopping across the North Sea to Holland. There's this amusement park called Efteling, it's supposed to be good. We have a two day pass to the park and will stay in the hotel – it's actually a fairy tale castle," Harry sounded even more excited than Severus.

sssssssssss

The next morning, Harry woke a very groggy Severus, helped him dress and led the still half-asleep boy from the castle. Just outside the wards, at the Apparition point, the cold air had roused the youngest wizard sufficiently to grin in anticipation.

"Come here," Harry pulled him close, focussed and Apparated away to the Wizard Entry Point at Heathrow.

Severus was used to Uncle Harry teaching him Muggle ways of transport, including the bus and train systems, but this was the first time he would be on an airplane. On their way to the gate he saw several of the huge contraptions through the windows. At the check in, Harry handed over their tickets, but since an overnight bag was all they brought with them, he did not need to check in any luggage and they quickly made their way to the plane.

"Are we going to fly back tomorrow?" Severus asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, because we would have to leave the park quite early if we did. Tomorrow I'll just Apparate us back, but at least now you know how travelling by plane works."

He laughed himself silly, a little later, when Severus treated the take off as if they were already in a rollercoaster, cheering happily. The short flight was over within the hour, and they landed on Schiphol Airport, where Harry once more pulled Severus close for the final Apparition. They landed in front of an old looking wall. Pointing towards the gates, where a long row of people had already gathered, waiting for entrance.

"Here we are, Severus. The Efteling."


	35. Chapter 35

A/N For those of you really interested in what exactly Sev and Harry are up to, check www

**A/N For those of you really interested in what exactly Sev and Harry are up to, check **

"What can we do here, Uncle Harry?" Severus nearly danced in excitement, "is it all Muggle?"

Harry grinned, just as excited as Severus but better able to contain himself. "All Muggle, and we'll see. We have today and tomorrow."

"Do they have rollercoasters?" Severus asked, hopping from foot to foot.

"Yes, but not all are open in winter," Harry said patiently, "We can do the inside ones."

Severus studied his map and his eyes opened wide. "This place is huge!" he complained, "we'll never be able to do everything!"

"We will do as much as we can," Harry promised, and took the boys hand, "Come along! We are close to this rollercoaster."

Severus looked up at the entrance, a bit daunted. "It's in the dark?" he asked, eager and a little intimidated at the same time.

"Apparently," they quickly made their way inside. There were hardly any lines at all – they had to wait only a few minutes before they were settled in there cart.

"WHEEEEEEEEEEE!!" Severus screamed as they went up and down the dark tunnels, unable to see what awaited them. Harry was just happy he had spelled his glasses to remain on his face at all times. He flinched a little when suddenly a huge predator bird seemed intent to gobble them up, but he moved his hand away from his wand when he realized it was a statue.

Severus came out utterly delighted. "That was so cool, Uncle Harry! Can we do that one again later?"

"Of course. Now see that one?" Harry pointed at a pagoda of sorts that rose majestically into the air, supported by a single iron beam. Severus's mouth fell open as it slowly rotated.

"Are you sure it's not magic?" he whispered.

"Absolutely," Harry grinned, "come, we'll catch the next ride and see what else we can do here."

Severus enjoyed every moment of their flight. Having flown on brooms since he was a small child, the height didn't intimidate him, and he eagerly pointed out buildings, checking what they were on his map.

After a quick trip to Monsieur Cannibale, where they were shaking AND stirred in a giant cooking pot while a huge native…someone eagerly watched to see if they were cooked yet, they visited the carnival festival, with its many internationally themed dolls. The tune played in that one was catchy, and Severus was humming it continually as they made their way from the Travel World to the Mare World.

"We can also catch the steamtrain later on to move about the park, if you wish," Harry said.

"I'm not tired!" Severus protested, "we just got here! Where is here, anyway?"

"This is the fairy tale realm," Harry checked the map, "there's one thing…not really a rollercoaster but it's supposed to really turn your stomach. Are you up for it?"

"You bet!" Severus raced ahead. Harry laughed and followed him at a jog.

"Villa Volta," Severus read.

Inside, there were pew like benches on either side, with a bar to go over their lap. Severus shrugged and didn't see how this could be a stomach-turning experience.

Until the pews started to move, that was.

Granted, they moved no more than a yard and all they did was swing back and forth. But the rest of the room seemed to turn around, giving the idea that they were flung around the room randomly. Paintings turned and spun. The room itself seemed to spin as the motion from the pews they were sitting on suggested they were moving across the ceiling.

When it was done, Harry and Severus emerged a pale sickly green and staggered to the nearest bench to sit, rest, and convince their heads and stomachs that the moving had stopped.

"Oh…my…" Harry moaned.

"Yeah…." Severus confirmed, leaning close to the wastepaperbasket next to the bench just in case, "that was bloody brilliant!"

"I'd admonish you for language but it's too much trouble…and threatening to wash your mouth out with soap only makes me more sick," Harry complained, but he was already laughing again and the colour slowly returned.

"I agree, though…it WAS brilliant. But I think once was enough for me!"

"Definitely," said a recovered Severus. "Oh, Uncle Harry. Can we do this now?"

He pointed to a place called Dreamflight.

Dreamflight was absolutely gorgeous, they both agreed. A bit 'girly' at some points according to Severus, but Harry had seen him watch their surroundings with large black eyes. Until, of course, just as they were about to leave a wonderfully green room with a gorgeous waterfall and fairies, a troll had jumped from behind a tree and scared the daylights out of them. Harry had laughed at the shocked expression on Severus's face then.

"Those Muggles are evil," he had grumbled, "stop laughing, Uncle Harry!"

By now it was well into the afternoon and Severus's stomach began to grumble.

"Time for lunch, I think," Harry checked the map. "Ah, food nearby," he said contently.

They ate a long lunch, a bit tired by the walking and all they had seen.

"This park is great. Can we come back sometime in summer, when everything is open?" Severus asked eagerly.

"We are definitely coming back here," Harry nodded brightly, "shall we take your Grandpa too next time?"

Severus giggled for a moment. "He would love it," he said, knowing his grandfathers odd tastes. Then he fell silent for a bit.

"Uncle Harry?" he finally asked.

"Hmmm?"

"Do you know…I mean…I got into that fight a while ago," Severus began.

"Yes, I know. That was a brave thing you did," Harry praised gently.

"Granddad was very angry with me then," Severus poked at his fries, "and when I asked him why he got so angry he just said it had more to do with him than with me. Do you know why he was angry, Uncle Harry?"

Harry sighed. "I do, Severus, but I'm afraid my answer isn't much different than Granddad's. It was not your fault at all. It had something to do with things that happened many years ago."

"That's what Granddad said, and Aunt Luna, but I don't understand why no one will explain to me what those things are."

Harry put down his utensils and looked at the boy seriously. "I understand, Severus. Really, I do. When I was young, people kept things from me as well, things that I perhaps needed to know. They kept it from me because I was too young, they thought, to burden me with it. In hindsight, I can understand why they did. The thing is…" he hesitated. "The thing is that it is not up to me to decide when you are old enough to tell you those things. I know you are a very intelligent boy, but you are also still a child."

Severus glared, and Harry couldn't help a smile. "I know, you are growing up fast," he conceded, "but the fact remains that it is up to your grandfather to decide when he tells you about them, because even if they are not your fault, you have now seen that they can affect you. Just remember that your granddad loves you, and that he will do anything to protect you. So do Aunt Phoebe and myself as your godparents, and Aunt Luna and everyone else."

Severus nodded, not quite satisfied but reassured that at least Harry had been willing to talk to him honestly instead of avoiding the issue.

After lunch, they spent a long time visiting all the different fairy tales. Though Harry was the recipient of a truly awful glare when he suggested Severus try to kiss Sleeping Beauty awake, they had a great time. The long monorail through the village of Laaf was enchanting and they laughed at the funny Laaf creatures they encountered.

"A cross between house elves and garden gnomes," was Severus's less than flattering assessment.

They retreated to the hotel in the early evening to bathe, change clothes and eat in the hotel restaurant. Harry had rented one of the theme suites, and Severus had great fun exploring every nook and cranny.

"Night, Uncle Harry," he muttered as Harry finally sent him to his bed, "thanks for bringing me," he snuggled into his pillows.

Harry couldn't resist tucking him in and smoothing a hand over the dark hair. "You're very welcome, Junior," he said softly before turning off the lights and going to sleep himself.

sssssssssss

At Hogwarts, Albus was packing for the annual holiday. The Hogwarts Express would leave by the end of the day and all children were busy packing. Most of them would leave their trunks at Hogwarts – they had clothes and such at home and only needed to bring their homework. Dumbledore sighed when he remembered seeing Cedric Diggory that morning. Rick had not seemed happy to return to his parents at all, and the Headmaster could not really blame him.

Then again, who was he to judge Amos for comparing one child to another? Had he not done the same with Severus? Granted, his situation was unique, but due to the completely different upbringing, his grandson was not the same person his son had been. They did of course share many of the same characteristics and interests, but the boy had grown up in a happy, secure home. The Potions Master – well. Dumbledore cast a glance at the portrait that still hung in his office.

"Don't beat yourself up over the past, Headmaster," Luna's voice came from the door, "simply make the most of your second chance."

Albus smiled. "I am trying. Believe me, I am trying. But while Severus is different, I am not."

"You have changed more than you think," Luna stole a lemon drop from the desk, "when Severus was young – when Harry and I were young, you would never have taken advice or council from a former student. Not even Minerva."

"I still do not always take your advice," Albus reminded her.

"Of course not. We are wrong from time to time as well. You are still stubborn on some issues – Harry, Phoebe and I still believe Severus should be slowly told of his true origins over time instead of waiting until he is older and then spring it on him – but you are no longer incorrigible."

"Thank you, Miss Lovegood," Dumbledore took a small bow, "as for Severus – when is the right time to tell him that he is really fifty years old? What is the right moment to tell him that the man he believes is his father, is really himself?"

"Hermione loaned me some Muggle psychology books," Luna said, "do you want to read them? They might have some useful information. Meanwhile, take your holiday and enjoy the boy you have instead of constantly thinking back to the boy you lost."

Dumbledore nodded curtly, then smiled. "My boy is probably having the time of his life with Harry," he guessed.

"Undoubtedly. We should all visit that park this summer. It sounds like a wonderful experience," Luna agreed, and stole another lemon drop.

ssssssssss

Harry and Severus returned late on the second day, tired but excited.

"…and there was this ship, Granddad, and it rocked back and forth, real hard! We were sitting all the way up and we almost hung upside down when our side was up! And then when it went down again, it felt like my body was going along with the ship but my tummy was left behind for a moment!"

Phoebe and Albus listened with a smile on their faces. Harry's sons listened with envy, and begged their Dad to take them as well when they were old enough, which Harry readily promised. Lily sat on his lap, listening to Severus.

"Lily go too?" she looked up at her father. "Yes, you can come too," Harry kissed the top of her head.

"I take it you had a grand old time, then," Albus knew his grandson did not really want to be cuddled, but the boy had sat next to him on the couch and over the course of his tales, scooted closer to his grandfather until he was leaning into him.

"It was fun, granddad," he yawned.

"And exhausting," Harry agreed with a yawn of his own.

"Well, time for bed then," Dumbledore laughed when he noticed Severus had fallen asleep against his shoulder. He lifted the boy in his arms and gently carried him off to his own bedroom in his grandfather's tower.


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N Discovered I've been working on this story for two and a half years already, and nowhere near finished. I do have other stories on my hands so updates will remain infrequent. Sorry.**

Severus woke late the next morning. He turned on his back and stretched lazily, a happy smile on his face. The trip with Uncle Harry had been so cool, and now he was going to join his grandfather on their vacation. After the threat of not being allowed to come, he doubly appreciated the coming holiday.

His grandfather peeked around the door, and when he saw Severus was awake, came to sit on the side of the bed.

"Excited?" he asked.

"Of course," Severus sat up, "thanks for letting me come, Granddad," he said again, earnestly.

The Headmaster ran his hand through the raven locks of hair. "I promised I would never again threaten to take away our holiday, Sev. Especially not when you did nothing to warrant punishment in the first place. Have I ever broken a promise to you?" he tried not to think of the boy's past life, in which he HAD broken many promises. He had been doubly careful not to repeat that mistake in his grandsons life.

"No, granddad," Severus sighed and slightly leaned into the touch, "You just…you've never been that angry with me before. I was…"

"Scared?" Dumbledore finished gently, "I'm sorry I frightened you, child. I promise, even if you ever do something wrong and I am angry, that I will never be as cold with you as I was then. It was wrong of me."

Severus, feeling a little embarrassed by his granddad's apology, swung his legs over the edge of his bed.

"Cold," he shivered as his bare feet touched the floor. The Headmaster shook his head in exasperation.

"The same thing every winter. And every winter I give you a pair of slippers that you always leave out in the sitting room instead of putting them by your bed."

Severus had already overcome his reluctance to the cold and sped off towards the bathroom to wash and dress.

sssssssss

Though they took a short trip every year – to the much warmer regions of southern Europe, or a trip to the snow – they always ended their holiday by staying at the Leaky Cauldron to do their Christmas shopping together in the Alley. They had started that tradition when Severus was just shy of his fifth birthday, and enjoyed it so much they had continued. By now, Tom kept their usual room for them.

They arrived late in the evening after five days in Greece. Tom had stayed up for them with a warm snack, and after a good night's sleep they went off to the Alley to spend the day there. The day always included hot chocolate and Christmas Special ice-cream at Florean's – a ridiculous combination, ice-cream and chocolate, Gran Minerva always groused, but one both Severus and Dumbledore loved – and the bookstore. Of course, one did not rush Florean's Christmas Special. It just wasn't done. It was also quite impossible, as the ice-cream when first served shot stars for at least ten minutes before any attempt to eat it could be made.

In the morning, they visited several stores together to buy presents for their friends. Severus used his own money to buy a few things for his godparents and the children as well as any of his new Hogwarts friends he wanted to send something, but the other presents he and his grandfather gave together. Dumbledore wanted the boy to learn that spending money on others is enjoyable, but he also did not see the need to let the holiday season leave the child penniless. Especially not at Hogwarts, where after years of persuasion, Harry had finally succeeded in convincing his fellow professors to allow ALL students to visit Hogsmeade, not just third years and above. There wasn't any danger to it anymore, he had argued, and really, was it fair to leave the children cooped up in the castle all the time?

The snowy street was dancing with lights, enchanted to hover over the heads of the shopping public. Large Christmas trees decorated several store windows. Of course, Gringotts had no such illumination. The Goblin idea of decorating for Christmas included pictures of fierce, fire-breathing dragons falling to the Goblin hordes after the clever Goblin prankster, Slymouth, betrayed them. As he did every year, Severus shivered a little at the realistic, gory scenes but accepted that they were part of the Goblin celebrations. Goblins, his grandfather explained long ago, did not celebrate Christmas but the lengthening of the days after midwinter. Of course, Aunt Phoebe had long ago explained about Christmas and had told him not to object to the Goblins decorations. After all, she explained to the then six-years old, who sat next to her with his head on her swollen belly to feel the baby kick, trees had very little to do with it as well.

"Trees aren't bloody," Severus had pointed out, "and they don't betray people, either."

"True. But they have a different culture, Junior. Muggle Mythology has prankster like that too, but that doesn't mean Muggles go around doing that, does it? Just like the Goblins have nothing to gain by betraying wizards or murdering the dragons that work for them."

Today, however, the decorations in the Alley were bright and cheery, and quickly drove any thoughts of horrible battles from Severus's head. Edible Christmas decorations also floated above their heads, and Severus joined the many other children in the road in trying to catch some.

Then Dumbledore waited at Florean's while Severus purchased his Highly Secret And Confidential gift for his grandfather. He had twenty minutes to do so and come to the ice-cream parlour, Dumbledore threatened semi-sternly, or he would come looking for the boy.

Finally, they had settled in a quiet corner of the shop, blowing into their hot chocolate and watching the stars shoot from their Christmas Specials.

Then a voice behind them came in their direction. "Albus and Severus Dumbledore? Right over there, lad."

"Rick!" Severus said in excitement as he spotted his friend. Dumbledore looked around as well, but it soon became obvious that this was no social call. The young Diggory's face was red, tear streaked and tense. He rushed over to them and nearly clung to his Headmaster's robes.

"I don't want to go back, please, can I stay at Hogwarts? Please, I don't want to be Cedric anymore, I can't be Cedric anymore, I came to find you…"

The Headmaster, taken aback briefly, recovered enough to calmly pry the boy off him, sit him down at their table and give him a handkerchief.

"Wipe your face, child, and calm down."

Severus just stared at his friend. Rick was wearing a warm sweater, but only a thin cloak and no gloves or scarf. He had to be freezing. Silently he pushed his hot chocolate over to his friend.

Rick sniffed a little more but finally began to relax a bit into the warmth. He looked up at his Headmaster in fear.

"Don't make me go back, please, Sir!"

"Did you run away, child?" Albus gently asked. The shy nod did not come as a surprise. He had feared it would come to this, and cursed himself for not having found time to talk to the Diggories yet.

"I – They were disappointed that I am in Slytherin. And they kept comparing my grades to Cedric's grades – they even took out his grades from first year! I'm never going to be good enough for them, never. They want Cedric, not me."

A tear fell into the hot chocolate, and Dumbledore sighed.

"Well, I will have to tell your parents where you are, but I think you should drink that hot chocolate first. And have a Christmas Special, as well."

Florean Fortescue had enough foresight to have already prepared another hot chocolate and Special, so when the boys were eating contently, Rick still a little shaky, Albus used his Floo to call Arthur Weasley, who agreed to meet them at the Leaky immediately.

ssssssssssss

Half an hour later, in the Dumbledore's rooms and wrapped in a warm blanket by the fire, Cedric eyed Arthur Weasley cautiously. The man was a co-worker of his father, and an occasional family friend, so he did not expect much good.

Instead, the balding man listened to the stories he, Severus and Severus's grandfather provided, and nodded gravely.

"I understand," he finally said, "This is not a situation that can continue."

"Should we not inform his parents, Arthur?" Headmaster Dumbledore asked, pulling the man aside.

Arthur Weasley sent him a calculating look. "I think there's no rush, Albus. It wouldn't harm them to spend some time worrying about the child. It might do them a world of good to realize what they are missing out on if they continue this…this…abusive behaviour."

"Now, really, Arthur…"

The younger man held up a hand to stall any protests. "I realize they are misguided and hurt people who have no intention of abusing their child, but their behaviour is abusive all the same. Let them sweat it out for a bit – and we shall see if they go frantic and search the entire wizarding world for the boy…or…"

"I see your point," Albus conceded, "but we would be practically kidnapping the child by not informing his parents, wouldn't we?"

"He came to you on his own," Arthur shrugged, "I'm not talking about hiding him for weeks, Albus. Just a few more hours – perhaps until the morning. Take him back to Hogwarts with you, and I'll keep you apprised."

ssssssssss

Severus did not mind at all that his friend came to stay with him. He did not even mind much that his trip with his grandfather had been cut short a bit – after all, they'd only had one night at the Leaky Cauldron left before they would have returned home anyway. Granddad had put up another bed in his room and the boys went to bed early that night.

"Sev?" Rick asked.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think they'll make me go back home?"

"I don't know," Severus had to admit, "I don't think they are going to send you back without…you know…doing something. Talking to your parents."

"Fat lot of good that is going to do," Rick muttered.

"Mr Weasley and Granddad wouldn't just send you back when they know nothing is going to change," Severus had full confidence in his grandfather and the redhaired family, that he was of course familiar with. The elder ones, at least – There were Ronald and Ginny, as well, who were Uncle Harry's age, but Severus rarely saw them, and usually only very briefly at that.

"I hope so. I don't ever want to go back."

Silence reigned for a while before Severus hesitatingly turned to his friend.

"But do you…I mean…do you love them?"

Rick thought on that for a long time.

"I suppose I do, somewhere," he finally admitted, "I mean – they are my parents, and they aren't…they don't beat me and they give me stuff…only never things that I want, always thinks that Cedric would have wanted. Or according to them, anyway, because I never knew Cedric."

"Hmmm," Severus said sleepily, "Uncle Arthur will sort things out, and Granddad too, you'll see. I hope you can stay for Christmas – I would like it if you got to celebrate it with us."

Rick looked around, a little shocked but feeling warm. Here he was wanted, not as a replacement for a long-dead brother, but for himself. After all, Severus had not known Cedric either.

He turned over and closed his eyes as well – deciding that he would follow Severus's example and trust the Headmaster.


	37. Chapter 37

After the boys had gone to sleep, Arthur and Albus called up Harry.

"It honestly doesn't surprise me," the History professor commented, "I am surprised the boy held on as long as he did."

He ran a hand through his wild hair. "I am hardly the right person to talk to the Diggorys about this, Arthur. They may always have said they do not blame me for Cedric's death, reality is that without me, Cedric would be alive today."

"And Rick most likely would not," Albus pointed out, "but you are right, Harry. They would not likely react reasonably."

"Rick can stay with us, if needs be," Harry shrugged, "I know Phoebe would not mind. As his Head of House, I am responsible for him. But I agree that it is best that Arthur talks to Amos."

"Molly already claimed dibs on Rick if he needs a place to stay," Arthur pounded Harry on the back, "You've done a great job with your House, son, and you are not responsible for this situation. Voldemort killed Cedric, and Rick's parents made the choice to let their grief lead to such unhealthy decisions."

"I know," Harry shifted uncomfortably, "the war reaches such a long way…making families and children suffer who had no part in it. Its is a sad reality."

"But one we will have to deal with to the best of our abilities," Albus interjected, "and we will try to find a way to make that boy live a happy, healthy life. Beginning by trying to reconcile him to his parents.

sssssssss

None of the adults slept that night. Arthur returned in the wee hours of the morning to say that, although the Diggorys had reported their son missing, they had also clearly no clue at all as to why the boy would want to run away.

When they came to report their son missing, the Aurors were quick to determine that there was no evidence of a crime whatsoever, and after hearing the Diggorys speak of their son as if he was the reincarnation of his long dead brother, they concluded that this was not a case of kidnapping as Amos tried to make them believe, but that the boy had most likely run away from home.

Forced to facet he harsh reality, concern had given way to anger for Amos and his wife, and Arthur deemed it safer to keep them in the dark about Rick's whereabouts until their anger had passed. Rick had not been told this, but was informed that while they spoke with his parents, he would need to stay with either the Dumbledores or the Weasleys. Rick preferred to remain with his friend, so the boys stayed indoors most of that day, and amused themselves with books and games.

Harry took the youngest Diggory with him that afternoon for a walk while the others plotted, and Severus was finishing up his Christmas presents. They strolled around the lake in silence for a while, hands buried deep inside their cloaks (Rick having borrowed one of Severus') to protect them from the cold.

After a while, Rick finally broke the silence.

"Is everyone very angry with me for causing such trouble, Professor?"

Harry looked around in surprise. "Merlin, no, we are not angry with you."

"But I ran away, and now you and the Headmaster and Mr Weasley have to…" the boy was nearly in tears.

"Rick, listen to me," Harry grabbed him by the shoulders, "It is not your fault. Things have gone very wrong, I know, but it is the responsibility of the adults in your life to fix it. You were having problems, and if we had addressed them sooner, it may never have come to this."

Harry struggled briefly. Yes, he had accepted that Voldemort killed Cedric, and he was not responsible. Yet he felt responsible for what had gone on in the Diggory family after that. He and Cedric may both of them have been victims, but Harry suffered a great deal of survivors guilt that occasionally reared its ugly head still, at times like these.

Rick bit his lip. "They told me…about how Cedric died…They said…said it was cruel that someone as loved and cherished as Cedric died…when…when…"

He faltered, realizing that completing the sentence would only hurt his teacher. But Harry had already understood.

"When an orphan no one would miss got away alive?" he finished.

"I've wondered about that myself, many, many times. It was cruel, pointless and horrible for your parents to lose their son that way, Rick, but it was not my fault. Neither is it your fault that you are not your brother, and never will be. Cedric was a great guy, yes, but so are you, just in a different way. Only Cedric could be one hundred percent Cedric; only you can be one hundred percent Rick. Trying to be your brother would make you, maybe seventy percent Cedric instead of one hundred percent Rick. Do you understand what I am trying to say?"

"Y..Yes, Sir." Rick shivered, despite Severus' warm cloak, "but I think my parents would rather have half of Cedric back than the whole of me."

"That is because they do not know you," Harry gently led the boy back towards the castle, "they do not know you at all."

He stared off towards the place where the maze once stood for the Triwizard Tournament. "But that is what we are going to try and fix."

sssssssssssss

"When that boy gets back I'll teach him to run away and make a fool of us in front of the whole world!" Amos fumed.

His wife just dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief.

"Running off! After all we did for him!"

"What did you do for him, Amos?" Arthur Weasley gently asked as he handed the distraught woman a glass of water.

That stopped the older man in his tracks, and he looked at Arthur with a mixture of bewilderment and defiance.

"Surely that does not need spelling out! We clothed him, fed him, gave him a beautiful room! Half the children in the world should be so lucky!"

"Amos…for the sake of our old friendship, allow me to be frank," Arthur felt the sweat run down his back. This wasn't easy, not at all.

"You gave the boy Cedric's room, you fed him the food Cedric liked, you gave him the toys Cedric played with. You treated him as if he is Cedric. But he is not, Amos. He is not Cedric."

The two stared at him, their faces blank. "What do you mean?"

Arthur stood up and turned towards the painting of Cedric that dominated the room.

"Cedric was a good, strong, reliable young man full of promise. A son any parent would be proud of. He died far too young under tragic circumstances. He _died_, Amos."

The man's face reddened. "No one knows that better than we do!" he roared.

"No, Amos," Arthur said sadly, "you do not. Everyone knows Cedric is dead but you. You have tried to recreate Cedric in your second son, who did not have a chance to be his own person since the day he was born. And, God forgive us, we saw it happen and ignored it for the very reason you just gave me; you fed him, you clothed him, you gave him anything Cedric could possibly desire. Except that he _isn't_ Cedric. He does not like shepherd's pie, he has no extraordinary interest in Quidditch but he's a hell of a Gobstones player. He is not a Hufflepuff but a Slytherin, his best subjects are Defence Against the Dark Arts and Astronomy, not Charms and Transfiguration. Cedric is dead, Amos, and until you both accept that and grieve for him instead of burdening a child with the impossible task of recreating his dead brother for you, you will lose this son, too, this time to your own cruelty."

By now, Amos' face had purpled, and his wife was sobbing into her handkerchief.

"OUT!! OUT, NOW!!" the man roared.

Arthur sighed. "As you wish, Amos. But think on my words, please."

"And my son?" the weak voice of the distraught woman tore at Arthur more than Amos's fury could, "when is he coming home?"

As kindly the Weasley patriarch replied, "Rick does not want to return. And he cannot come home because this house is not home to him. He is safe."

"Then you Will. Return. Him," Amos hissed.

"No, Amos. To return him to you now would be to put the child in danger. I will not risk it. Floo me, when you are truly ready to talk."

Amos's frustrated roar was the last thing Arthur heard as he stepped through the Floo.

ssssssssss

Arthur stepped out of the Floo in Albus Dumbledore's office. He looked at the two men waiting for him, and smiled at Phoebe.

"I am afraid Rick will have to stay here for a while," he said sadly, "And considering the circumstances, perhaps it is best if the boy stays here, Albus, at least for the holidays."

"Of course," Albus nodded, "Severus will be thrilled. I shall have to owl-order some Christmas presents for him, for tomorrow morning, though…"

"You do that. Harry and I will get him something too, won't we, Harry?" Phoebe turned to look at her husband.

"I don't see why not. It will be difficult enough for him already. A few presents is the least we can do," the frown did not disappear from the younger man's face, "how bad was it, Arthur?"

"Amos is not in the mood to be reasoned with," Arthur said honestly, "I am not sure about his wife. I did tell them the boy is safe – it would be unfair to his mother to leave her wondering if her child is alive or dead."

At that point the boys entered the room, and seeing the adults they shared a look, knowing what this probably meant. Rick took a step forwards.

"Mum and Dad…?"

Arthurs hand rested heavily on his shoulders. "Son, I am sorry, but it is better if you stay here a little longer. Your parents have some issues they need to sort through, first."

"You can stay with us," Severus came to stand next to his friend, "Right, grandpa? I don't mind sharing my room."

"Of course he can stay," the Headmaster said, resting a hand on each boy's head, "Aunt Phoebe will take you to Hogsmeade to get a few clothes for you, Rick. Severus, you may go with them if you like."

"The idiots," Harry muttered when Phoebe had left with the boys, "he's a good kid."

"Don't be too hard on them, Harry," Arthur said softly, "they need time. You cannot expect everything that grew over two decades to be resolved overnight. They never really, truly grieved for Cedric so that they could move on. Until they are willing to admit they have a problem, Rick will have to stay here."

"They could legally claim him," Harry pointed out, his face pale and worried.

"True. Which is why I asked one of my colleagues from the Children's Welfare Department to discreetly assess the situation. That way, Rick won't just be forced back to his parents. She can force his parents to seek help before their son is returned to them, and Rick will have an important voice in the matter."

As they watched Phoebe cross the grounds with the boys, on the way to Hogsmeade, Albus turned Harry around.

"None of this is your fault, Harry," he said gently, but firmly, "and it is not your job to fix it beyond your duties as Rick's Head of House. Now, if your children are being supervised…"

"They're staying with Fred and George for the day," Harry looked away.

"Then go pick them up and have some fun," Albus shook him carefully, "let Arthur and myself worry."

Harry managed a small smile and inclined his head. After he had left, Albus turned to Arthur.

"Do you think…"

"I do not know, Albus," the other man sighed, "they were not reasonable today. I will try again in a few days. We are not giving up on this so easily."

"No, we won't," the old wizard agreed, "family is important. We will somehow bring them back together again, hopefully."


	38. Chapter 38

"Head…Uncle Albus?" Rick approached his friend's grandfather hesitatingly in his office. Yes, his Headmaster was not at all an impressive, eccentric figure when he was just being Sev's grandpa – although perhaps eccentric still applied – but it took some serious getting used to calling the man 'Uncle Albus' during the holidays.

Albus smiled kindly at the boy. Although he had sent the children to bed over an hour ago, it was hardly surprising Rick did not sleep very well.

"Yes, Rick? Is Severus asleep already?"

Rick nodded. "Yes…we talked some but he was tired. I…I…."

Albus moved away from his desk and guided the boy, who was now slightly shivering in his pyjamas, to the living room. He wrapped a blanket around the boy and asked Dobby to bring up some warm milk. When the mugs arrived, he turned to Rick.

"What is bothering you, child?"

Rick stared at the mugs on the low table. Then he sighed and produced a handful of coins – a few galleons, a sickle or two, a larger amount of knuts.

"Aunt Phoebe spent a lot of money on me," he said, his eyes wide and earnest, "and…and you too. I make everyone go through all sorts of trouble for me. I had some money left from what my…from what I had at the start of term…I know it isn't enough…"

Albus stared at the money. After a moment he smiled gently and took the child's hand in both of his, folding the fingers back around the coins.

"Listen to me, carefully," he then took the child's face in his hands so that Rick was forced to look into his eyes, "you do not owe us anything, Rick. The clothes, staying here, we do those things because we care about you. Because it is the right thing to do. I would not dream of asking Severus to repay me for any of HIS clothes, neither will I accept any payment from you."

Rick swallowed thickly. "Then what do I have to do?"

"Do?" Albus shook his head, "you do not have to do anything."

The gaze went to the mugs again, and Albus' face got serious.

"What would you think appropriate compensation?" he asked carefully.

The boy shrugged. "My parents didn't ask money. When they got me clothes, they made me parade around in them and commented how much or how little I was like Cedric. They made me walk a certain way, saying that's how Cedric walked. They like it when I am like him. When I like something, a…a shirt or pants, I have to be really careful to walk just like Cedric did, or they won't let me have it."

Albus listened to the words spilling out of the child's mouth with wide eyes and a profound sense of disbelief. He fully admitted he wasn't the best parent. Granted, he did better with Severus this time around, but it still required help from his friends to keep him on the right track. The only excuse he had for his behaviour in the past was that he never had children of his own. The Diggories, however, had to be just as deluded not to see how their behaviour would harm their second son.

"What was Cedric like?" Rick looked up at his Headmaster, "Was he really so perfect?"

Albus smiled softly. "He certainly was a very nice young man," he recalled, "A Hufflepuff. He worked hard and was a good student, with quite some talent in Charms and Transfiguration. He was usually very fair, too. Professor Potter can tell you a little more about the year of the Triwizard Tournament. He was a good person, Rick, but no one would claim he was perfect. He got detentions just like anyone else, he got bad grades just like anyone else."

"Do I look like him?" the child whispered softly, in a voice that seemed torn between hope and fear.

Albus studied the young face carefully. "A little," he said eventually, "I can see some family resemblance. But Cedric had more of your mother, your features seem a little closer to your father's side of the family. Your hair is a few shades darker, too."

Rick's lip trembled. "I…I…"

His Headmaster suddenly changed back into his friend's kind grandfather, who opened his arms and enfolded the confused, sad boy in his embrace while he cried out the accumulated stress of over a decade.

sssssssss

"Of all the ungrateful things to do," Amos Diggory stamped up and down the room, "after all we did for him…"

His wife, her eyes dull with pain, watched her husband silently.

"And that insufferable woman from Children's Welfare…as if we would ever abuse our child!"

He did not notice the slight doubt pass over his wife's features.

"Cedric would never have disgraced us like this!" Amos finally exclaimed.

The long silence that followed, where he had expected quick agreement, made him turn to the woman with him.

"Surely you agree?" he said in disbelief.

"I…" the woman hesitated.

"I do not know, Amos. I really do not know. I went to his room, Cedric's room…to spend time there…"

"I know, love," Amos gently pressed a kiss on his wife's head, his eyes softening.

"Amos…you know what I saw?" she clasped his hands urgently, her eyes boring into his own.

"I saw Cedrics toys. The kind of clothes Cedric liked to wear. Remember how he liked to wear those blue robes you got him, the ones he said that were so great for practicing Quidditch?"

Amos smiled happily at the memory. "I do. I think it was just an excuse to play more."

"Do you know what clothes Rick likes to wear?" his wife asked him.

His features tightening with anger at the thought of his second son, Amos shrugged. "Blue, too, of course. We bought him plenty of those robes."

"I know. I like to see him in them, too. But what does _he_ like to wear?"

Amos stared. "I fail to see your point, dear."

"His room is Cedrics room. The toys, the clothes, everything, everything is Cedrics. Even his name is Cedrics," his wife said bitterly, "we gave him all that is Cedrics, but nothing of his own. I sat there and I sat there, for hours, and then it hit me – who is our second son, Amos?"

Her husband opened his mouth, and closed it again.

"Amos…often I forget that he is our _second_ son…not our first," tears ran down the woman's face, "and even I know that can't be right. We have two sons…"

Amos swallowed thickly. "Two sons."

"Had Rick been born, say, five or ten years after Cedric…would we have expected him to be a copy of Cedric? Or would we have rejoiced in the differences between them?"

The portrait Cedric gazed down upon his distraught mother, as if approving her line of thought. Amos bit his lip.

"But Rick was born ten years too late. No, Amos, we did not deprive him of food, clothes, or anything else…but we did rob him of himself. Of his chance to be his own person. Maybe, maybe that was even more cruel."

Amos shivered, and dropped to his knees next to his wife's chair. "But…Cedric…I want…"

"I want Cedric back, too," the exhausted woman whispered, "Remember the Tournament? We had bought him the snitch he been looking at so often at Quality Quidditch Supplies when he was chosen as Champion."

Amos nodded. "…I was so proud…so proud"

"We both were," his wife smiled, "I was worried, but I knew our boy could complete those tasks…and he did. It wasn't the Triwizard Tournament that killed him, it was the war. He was the Hogwarts Champion, and he won."

They shared a proud smile and looked at the portrait. "But Cedric died…the night of the Third Task…Harry brought back his body…and we buried him. Remember, Amos?"

A sob escaped, and tears began to ran down the aged man's cheeks. His wife continued in a faraway voice.

"We took those blue robes he loved so much, and we clothed him in them…we kissed him goodbye and told him to rest well. We told him that when he woke up, he should have fun and play lots of Quidditch…"

"We…" Amos picked up, his voice broken, "we folded his hands over the snitch we bought him, so he would have something to chase. You tucked an extra blanket over his legs so he would be warm while he lay…lay…"

"While he lay in his grave," his wife finished what her husband could not.

Amos lowered his head, his forehead resting against his wife's bosom as her arms encircled him. He clutched her robes desperately, finally grieving for their firstborn son.


	39. Chapter 39

Severus and Rick were wrapped up in warm clothes, floating on their brooms.

"Gosh, it's difficult to catch the Snitch with a hundred sweaters on," Severus complained.

Rick, who wasn't fanatical about Quidditch but who quite enjoyed a game of Catch the Snitch with his friend, nodded.

"Granddad still thinks I'm three sometimes," Severus moaned. Casting a look at the castle, he shrugged off the heavy cloak.

"That's better," he sighed. Rick followed suit, pulling off one of the thick sweaters he wore underneath as well.

The boys had a great time playing, and were sure to replace their clothes before heading back to the castle.

That evening, they both sat on the couch quiet and sniffling a bit.

The Headmaster frowned, and put a hand on each boy's forehead, straying to cheeks and neck.

"It would seem you are both coming down with a cold," he moved to the Floo, "I will ask Madam Pomfrey to have a look at you."

"No, Granddad, we are fine, please," Severus hastened to reassure, "we're just a bit tired from flying so long."

Rick nodded, his eyes a bit glassy and his reply hindered by a coughing fit.

"Get in your pajamas and to bed right now, boys," the Headmaster calmly replied, ignoring his grandson.

"But…"

Severus stopped short in his protest and gulped. It was not very often Granddad gave him *that* look, but when he did, he knew better than to disobey.

"Yes, Granddad," he pulled Rick along with him.

Truth be told, neither of them were very sorry to be in bed. When the nurse arrived a bit later, Rick was dozing while Severus abused several tissues in an attempt to unstuff his nose.

She gently tapped her wand against the children's foreheads and frowned. Then she cast a diagnostic charm while Dumbledore hovered nearby.

"Well?" he asked impatiently. Severus rarely got sick – he had little experience with it. He remembered, however, when the boy had contracted the measles when he was five. Severus had been very ill then and Dumbledore had sat by his bed for two days and nights before the fever broke and the little boy recovered.

"They both have a cold, Albus, it has been going around, and I wager they have not been too careful to bundle up lately," she cast a glance at the now squirming boys.

"I never let them go outside without proper attire," the Headmaster protested.

"That you put them in it doesn't necessarily mean they will stay in," the nurse pointed out, "right, Severus? Rick?"

"Yes, Ma'am," they both muttered guiltily, and confessions about their afternoon activities followed. Looking down at their sheets, they both missed the slightly amused look the adults shot each other.

"You will both drink this Pepper-Up," the nurse handed each a vial, "I am leaving another one for them to take in the morning, Albus. Keep them in bed tomorrow and they should be fine Christmas Eve."

The boys groaned. A whole day in bed!

The Headmaster walked the nurse out. "Do they really have to stay in bed tomorrow, Poppy?"

Madam Pomfrey smirked at him. "Not really. But I find it helps stubborn children who ignore their parents' admonishments to keep warm if they have to spend a day bored out of their minds in their beds. It will make them think twice next time. They are both running a slight fever, they can use the rest."

Albus laughed, making sure he was out of the boys' hearing range.

"It won't do them any harm," he said, "I will instruct the House Elves to bring them food and drink, but not pamper them with attention or games. And I think I will insist on a nap."

They shared an amused look before the nurse took her leave, and the old wizard went to check on his charges.

Rick had once more dozed off, but Severus was sitting up in bed and fidgeted with the sheets when his grandfather entered, clearly expecting a lecture.

Albus reached over and stroked a bit of slightly damp hair from the flushed face. He ignored the smoke coming from both children's ears and smiled gently.

Severus looked up. "I'm not in trouble?" he asked cautiously.

His grandfather was generally fair with him. Normally disobeying an order would have earned him a lecture and loss of one or two privileges for a day or so at most – but doing something dangerous to himself or others was sure to be followed by a grounding and some highly unpleasant chores.

"I think getting sick is punishment enough for disobeying me," Dumbledore said with a gentle smile, "you heard Madam Pomfrey. Be on your best behaviour and you will be fine by Christmas."

The next day the elves, having received firm instructions, provided ample food and drink but very little in the way of entertainment, leaving the boys to play some Muggle card games with a deck Harry had given Severus at one time or another, since exploding snap was considered too noisy.

While Severus felt a lot better, and besides a runny nose and occasional cough was bored out of his mind by staying in bed, Rick seemed to be slow and sleepy. Severus finally gave up and got a book to read when his playmate dozed off for the third time in a single game.

The house elves brought them their favourite foods for lunch - in compensation for the order not to entertain them, no doubt. Rick woke long enough to shake his head in refusal before dozing off again. Severus climbed out of bed and walked over to Rick's bed. Rick was sleeping with his mouth slightly open, congested sounds coming up every time he breathed. When he tentatively touched Rick's hand, the skin was hot.

ssssssssss

The Diggories were having some very disagreeable days. After confronting their grief over Cedric's death, they had realized that their youngest would not be home for Christmas. They had attempted to do their usual Christmas shopping together, but this year the event was singularly stressful. Where before it had been the highlight of their year, and their fondest time to remember Cedric as they picked out his favourite gifts for their youngest son, this year they found they could no longer bring themselves to do that.

Which led them to conclude they did not have the faintest idea what Rick would like for presents. Which in turn led to much awkwardness and an early return home.

Mrs Diggory sat brooding by the fire, lost in unhappy thoughts, when the Floo flared.

The face of Albus Dumbledore appeared. "Mrs Diggory…"

"Yes?" the woman responded, slowly turning her attention to the Headmaster.

"I would be much obliged if you could step through the Floo," the old wizard said, his voice full of concern, "your son is asking for you."

sssssssss

"Granddad…" Severus poked his head around the office door.

"Bed, Severus," the Headmaster said, not looking up from his work.

Severus hesitated, then took a few more steps into the office.

"Granddad…"

"Severus!" the old man adopted a stern look, intent on impressing to the boy that he was serious about keeping them in bed all day.

Severus bit his lip and turned around, taking a step towards the door, but then shook his head.

"I think Rick is really sick," he blurted out, walking up to his grandfather's desk, "he won't stay awake and he's really warm."

That got the Headmasters attention. He put a hand to Severus's head, but the boy felt cool. The Pepper-Up clearly had done its job for Severus.

As he walked into the boys room with Severus, however, it was clear that Rick had not been so lucky.

"It was good of you to call me, Severus," he moved towards the bed, "could you go to the Floo and ask Madam Pomfrey to come up here?"

Severus rushed off, leaving Albus to examine the sick child. Rick opened his eyes briefly as the Headmaster gently pulled the blankets from him and rested his hand against flushed cheeks and neck.

The nurse rushed in, having stepped through immediately. Albus pulled Severus to him and awaited the verdict.

"He has Wizards Flu, Albus," Poppy said, straightening her back as she covered the boy with a light sheet, "it has been going around. The stress he's been under and then playing outside in the cold have made him vulnerable to the virus. I will send up the potions he needs immediately, and you can give him a painreliever and cough medicin to help with the symptoms. Give him a cool bath if his fever spikes or cool him down with icepacks."

Rick stirred.

"Shh, son, you'll be fine," Albus comforted, "can I get you anything?"

"Mum…" Rick's sob was interrupted by a bad cough, "I want Mum…"

He sat up, tears mixing with the sweat that formed on his face, "Where's Mum?"

"But…" an astonished Severus turned to his grandfather, but before the older man could reply, Rick tried to get up out of bed.

"I want my Mum…" he muttered.

Poppy expertly began to tuck him back into bed, but even she looked rather helpless.

"I'll be right back," the Headmaster said.

ssssssssss

Rick tossed and turned, wondering what all those blankets were doing on him when the sun was already so warm. A hand pressed a cool cloth to his face and he opened his eyes. A familiar face slowly penetrated the fog.

"Shhhh, sweetheart," he heard, "do you want a drink?"

"Mum…" Rick rasped out, "Mum?"

His mother nodded.

"You'll stay with me?" he asked, sounding much younger than his almost twelve years, "like you'd have stayed with Cedric?"

A tear suddenly made its way down his mothers face, and he stared at it in wonder.

"Yes, darling, I'll stay with you, like I used to stay with Cedric," was the last he heard before a kiss was pressed to his head and he drifted off into a healing sleep.


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N: Five years! I've been working on this story for five years! And updated only a few chapters in the past two. Awful. So it's about time I updated again.**

Severus sat on his bed, swinging his legs back and forth. Rick had, after he recovered from his sickness, gone to spend some time with his parents. The Headmaster had freely given his permission for Rick to stay home another week after the holidays in order for the small family to get to know each other. They had assured him they would be looking for some therapy to help them cope.

Rick had seemed nervous and wary, but happy at the same time, Severus mused. Would he have forgiven his grandfather so easily if the Headmaster had ignored him like that his whole life? He did not know; Rick however seemed willing to try again.

"Sev?" Dumbledore checked in on the boy, wondering what was keeping Severus quietly in his room, "What are you doing?"

"Hmmm?" Severus replied, only half aware of being asked a question.

The old wizard raised an eyebrow and sat on the bed next to the child. "What's wrong?"

"I don't really understand," Severus shrugged.

"What is it you don't understand?" the Headmaster gently pressed.

"I thought Rick didn't like his parents. They weren't very nice to him. And then he gets sick and the first thing he wants is his mother. He's not even sure they've really changed, he told me that, but he still goes home with them."

His grandfather nodded. "It does seem confusing. I'm sure Cedric is confused as well, but, Severus, despite what they did, they are still his parents. Even though his mother only ever thought of his older brother, she is still his mum. Deep down he very much wanted her to care about him."

"I guess…" the boy stared at his feet, "I mean, I hope they really did change. I think he wanted them to change more than he wanted to be away from them. You don't really need a mum, though. I mean, I don't have a mother…"

Dumbledore subconsciously held his breath.

"Do you wish you had?" he carefully asked, after a few moments.

"Sometimes…" Severus hesitated, "but I have you. I wouldn't want to, you know, not live with you. But I wonder sometimes what my mum was like, and if she wanted me. Did you know her?"

The aging wizard gave a small sigh and decided on a not-entirely-true answer. "She died before you came to live with me, my boy."

"Then who brought me to you?" Severus asked, "was my father ill? I was only three weeks old when he died, and my mother can't have died before I was born of course…how come they both died at the same time?"

Long had the Headmaster been dreading the day when Severus would start asking such questions. It amazed him, and pleased him, that it had taken this long. He took it as a sign that Severus was happy with his life with them that he hadn't worried too much about his parents up until this point.

"I do not know what happened to your mother," he said truthfully – despite many suspicions, no one knew what exactly had happened to Eileen.

"Your father's departure from this life was unexpected, at least to me…" he recalled that difficult conversation in his office, when Severus had asked him to perform the spells.

He smiled sadly. "I had only three days to prepare myself for the inevitable," he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to remain truthful and at the same time, not tell the boy too much.

"I don't think I could have been adequately prepared if I'd had three hundred days," he muttered, his voice tight.

"Do you think they loved me?" Severus asked hesitatingly, "they didn't really have much of a chance to get to know me, did they?"

Dumbledore wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders. Tobias and Eileen had not been proper parents to their son and had neglected him just as much as Cedric had been neglected, but he couldn't very well tell the boy that. So he settled for an answer that was not really an answer.

"If they had known you, they would have loved you very much, indeed," he said, "I don't see how they could not. I've loved you since the moment I first held you and you peed on me."

That made Severus grimace and giggle at the same time – he had been forced to hear this story several times already, preferably when others were around so that he could be properly embarrassed.

"Don't blame me!" he protested, "blame my folks for not putting a nappy on me."

His eyes narrowed. "Why didn't I have a nappy?"

"Because your father left you in my arms stark naked," his grandfather retorted, thinking his grandson was getting far too observant for his liking, "He left dressing you to me and I have a sneaky suspicion he knew exactly what was going to happen!"

Severus giggled at the thought of someone setting up the Headmaster to be the victim of a prank, before getting serious again. "I would have liked a mum," he said solemnly, "but I like living with you, and I have a lot of sort-of grandmas and mums."

Dumbledore smiled and pressed a quick kiss to the dark hair before the boy could protest. "Yes, you do," he confirmed.

"Speaking of which," he changed the subject to something more comfortable to him, "Grandma Minerva asked if you would like to go to Hogsmeade with her this afternoon. She indicated hot chocolate and a stop at Honeydukes might be involved."

"Grandma Minerva taking me to Honeydukes?" Severus gaped, "what did I do? Discover one of the three biggest secrets of Transfiguration?"

"Brat!" The Headmaster smiled, "go on, before she changes her mind."

Severus grinned brightly and grabbed his cloak on the way out.

sssssssssss

Rick returned to school mid-january. He immediately sought out Severus, under the guise of asking him to help him catch up with his schoolwork, which of course he also did.

"I've been talking to grown-ups forever," he complained, "and they're all a bit stupid."

"Adults tend to be," Severus agreed, "at least, they're stupid enough to believe that *we* are stupid enough to believe anything. But, it did go ok? With your folks, I mean?"

Rick shrugged. "I guess. I'm not sure. I mean, they are a lot nicer…trying to get to know me and all. It's just that they realize I'm a stranger to them, and they are strangers to me. It feels like I've just been adopted by my own parents, if you know what I mean."

"They haven't given you any grief over running away, have they?"

"No…not that they've had the chance! Mr and Mrs Weasley came over a lot, and we went to talk to this therapist…so if they are planning to punish me for it, they'll probably have to wait until the Easter holidays, or summer…"

"You think they'll do that?" Severus asked, aghast. That sounded awfully calculating to him.

"I don't think so," his friend frowned, "they seem to mean it when they say they've changed. It is nice, but also really awkward. I was hoping for this all my life, and now that it's happened…"

"Yeah," Severus said, "I can imagine it'd be weird."

"They're going to come visit me on Hogsmeade weekends a few times this term," Cedric said, "I'd like it if you came with me to meet them sometime. They asked me about you and what you were like and all. They didn't even compare you to one of Cedric's friends!"

Severus nodded. He wasn't happy with the way his friend's parents had treated their son, but he could be polite. Besides, if they admitted they had been wrong and wanted to change that, well, he could respect that.

Then he noticed that his friend seemed bothered by something.

"Did they say anything else?" he asked.

"They did ask if I wanted to change my name," Rick sighed, "I don't know about that. I mean, I thought I hated Cedric and I hated having his name, but I've talked to some of his old classmates and all, and he really was ok. If he'd been alive he would have been an awesome older brother. It's not his fault anyway, everything that happened. He was dead, I mean…"

"Yeah…he probably wouldn't have agreed with your parents, either," Severus agreed.

"Do you think I should change my name?" Rick asked.

Severus shrugged. "Whatever you want, I suppose, it's your name. You could change it to something you like, or if you don't hate Cedric anymore, you could keep it. It'd be like…what do you call it? A tribute."

"They are already calling me Rick," Rick mused, "that's different from Ced. And you're right, if I decide to keep it, it could be my own tribute to him. To show him I don't hate him anymore."

"Yeah. And it's not that bad. I'm named after my father, too."

"But your father named you after himself, didn't he? I mean…he must have, while he was still alive."

Severus stared. "You know…I don't know. Yes…Yeah he must have, right? It's just I always got the impression grandpa named me that."

"You were three weeks old when he died," Rick pointed out.

"I know! Maybe it's a family name or something. I don't know, because no one will tell me anything. And no one even knows my mother's name."

Rick shrugged. "Your father would have known, and he would have had to report your birth to the Ministry…your mother's name would be on the birth certificate they keep in the records there."

Severus' eyes shone. "Brilliant, Rick! All I have to do is write them and ask for my birth certificate."

"No," Rick shook his head, "those records are closed. Purebloods were afraid that people could find the evidence of their Squib offspring there, so the law says only the person involved or a parent or guardian can request to see it or have a copy made, and you have to be of age."

"Oh." Severus slumped back in his seat. "Oh! But then it must not be there, either," he concluded, "because grandpa is my guardian. He could have found out my mother's name that way, and he doesn't know."

"Or says he doesn't know," Rick shrugged.

"Are you saying my grandpa is a liar?" Severus's eyes narrowed.

"Not necessarily, but we just agreed adults are a bit stupid. Ok, my parents were more than a bit stupid. But all parents think their kids are too young to know some stuff. Did he really say he does not know?"

Severus thought back to his conversations with his grandfather. "N..no…" he stared intently at a spot just beyond Rick's ear, trying to draw answers, "No, he said he she died before I came to live with him…and he didn't know what happened to her."

"Of course she died before you came to live with him, otherwise you'd never have gone to live with him in the first place," Rick pointed out the obvious, "that's not an answer to whether or not he knew her. I think," he added, "I think we might have to go see your birth certificate ourselves."

"How?" Severus asked, "you just said the records are sealed, and I'm nowhere near seventeen yet."

"Well," Rick leaned closer to his friend and lowered his voice, "I can't promise it'll work, but my father sometimes took me to work with him…and I think what we should do is…"


End file.
